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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25730077">Gold, when you see me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme'>AmeliaDarkholme</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Movie: The Old Guard (2020), Tony Stark Lives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:09:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,507</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25730077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony was sure he’d died.</p><p>He could feel it.</p><p>But then the dreams came.</p><p>And Tony woke up with a gasp.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre &amp; Nile Freeman, Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>164</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Time to let it go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I should have finished my other stories, I know. But the temptation is too strong, and I'm weak huehue :P Anyway, this a crossover story, and it is set in 2023. Shout-out to my sister, the tiny gremlin, for encouraging me to write this story. I made a few changes for the sake of the story, but I’ll try to stick to canon as much as possible. Title of the story is from Vance Joy's song "Like Gold", which was the song I was listening to when I wrote this.</p><p>And as always, all my love and thanks to Oksana Polastri, who edited this mess for me. If you guys still find mistakes, it's all on me :P Happy reading, guys! ;)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony was sure he’d died.</p><p> </p><p>He could feel it. He could feel his heart stopping as he hugged Pepper for the last time. He could feel his breath fading as Peter’s tearful face became the last thing he saw. He could feel his life leaving his body as he pictured Morgan and Harley’s faces in his mind. Tony had almost died far too many times in the past, and he always felt this soft, calm acceptance as he waited for death to claim him. It was different this time though. It was different, because he was actually <em>happy </em>now. He had a wife and a daughter, his two unofficially adopted <em>sons </em>were coming, and he was pretty sure he had ‘adopted’ a space <em>daughter</em>. Even with the events in the past five years, for the first time since his parents’ death, Tony knew what it felt like to have a family. A happy one. So, although he was glad that he was the only casualty among his friends from this last battle against Thanos, it didn’t mean he’d accepted it. Like he always did in the past. But now he had no choice but to finally let death take him, cursing himself for believing that he’d gotten the happy ending he’d always wished for.</p><p> </p><p>But then the dreams came.</p><p> </p><p>A young woman. A Marine. Looked like she was only a few years younger than Nebula. So, <em>so</em> young.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“There’s another one.”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Two men. One with dark, soulful eyes. The other with light, gentle eyes. Lovers. <em>Soulmates</em>.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“What the fuck? So soon?”)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>A man. Voice deep and calming. Face sunken and eyes heartbreakingly sad. And <em>so</em> <em>alone.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“It’s a man. Around fifty? Looks very familiar.”)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Two women. Both of them beautiful beyond description. Both of them deadly. <em>Ancient </em>warriors.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Oh shit. Is that…?”)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>And Tony woke up with a gasp, finding himself in the basement of his cabin. Naked. Alone. <em>Alive.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Fuck. That’s Iron Man.”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tony was sure he’d died. He’d felt it.</p><p> </p><p>So how the fuck was he alive now?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Nile, tell Copley we have another one. Booker, find out what’s wrong. I will get Stark.”)</em>
</p><hr/><p>When the Decimation, as they’d called it, happened, Nile had joined the team for only a few months. It was around seven months after the events with Merrick, and she was flying to Australia with the team for a mission Copley had just given them. It was the first mission for Nile, and she was understandably nervous. Nicky told her it was normal, and Joe reassured that everything would be alright. At first, it did look like everything was going as planned. The four of them were on a chopper, with Nile sitting beside Andy, Joe and Nicky sitting across from them, her elders quiet in an almost meditative way. Nile was listening to the song on her phone, eyes closed as she repeated the plan silently in her mind, when Nicky’s yell broke her out of her reverie.</p><p> </p><p>She opened her eyes to find Andy missing, and Nicky pawing at the pile of dust where Joe was.</p><p> </p><p>They had an emergency landing on an airfield somewhere in Indonesia, and Nile could barely stop Nicky from tearing through the streets to find where Joe had gone. She had to juggle between tackling Nicky, who was wailing out Joe’s name at that point, and calling Copley to find out what had happened. She noticed that everyone around them was also screaming out for whomever had gone the way Andy and Joe had. Copley barely got to answer the phone call when Nile saw a plane heading fast toward where she and Nicky were, and its pilots were nowhere in sight. Cursing under her breath, she hung up abruptly so she could drag Nicky to safety to avoid the plane. The plane hit the side of the watchtower, and they both curled around each other to avoid the flying metal from the exploding plane. A full minute went by in complete silence, as both Nile and Nicky were too shocked to say anything. The silence was interrupted only when Nile’s phone rang again.</p><p> </p><p>“Copley?” Nile said, panting a little. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Nicky closely, who was staring blankly ahead.</p><p> </p><p>“Nile, thank God!” the former CIA agent exclaimed. “What the hell happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“We were on our way to Australia when Andy and Joe suddenly disappeared,” Nile began to explain, but on the other end of the call, she noticed that Copley was still talking.</p><p> </p><p>“—was cut short, and all I saw on TV was complete chaos! Does it have anything to do with why Booker and Quynh are here to see me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, what do you mean <em>Booker and Quynh are there to see you?” </em>Nile asked, shocked. “Copley, what the fuck? Are they—“</p><p> </p><p>Nile could hear Booker’s voice saying something indistinct before she heard a woman’s voice that sounded weirdly familiar to her.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me talk to her, Copley,” the woman said, who Nile assumed was Quynh. The same Quynh that had been lost for almost five hundred years. Who was supposed to be down in the ocean, locked in a fucking iron maiden.</p><p> </p><p>“Copley?” Nile tried once more. Her voice was small and timid in a way it hadn’t been in a <em>long </em>time. Not since the day her mother had told her that her dad had died.</p><p> </p><p>But it wasn’t Copley, or even <em>Booker, </em>who talked to her next.</p><p> </p><p>It was Quynh.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello, Nile. It’s nice to finally talk to you.”</p><hr/><p>Tony had barely pulled his pants up and slipped into his shirt when he heard the yelling. There was Peter’s familiar voice telling Harley to take Pepper and Morgan to safety, Rhodes’ voice telling the other Avengers to stand down, and a completely new voice of a woman who said that she came in peace. Her voice was followed by Clint’s voice, who made a thinly veiled attempt at threatening the new voice to leave or else he’d make her. The woman didn’t sound intimidated at all when she once again repeated that she came in peace, this time adding that she wanted to see Tony. The genius billionaire immediately realised that the woman’s voice was the one that he’d heard in his dreams, who’d told her two companions that she was coming to get him. He didn’t worry that she would hurt his family, not with the rest of the Avengers there, but he knew that he had to get up there soon. Foregoing wearing his shoes, Tony quickly went up to his living room, where he found his family and friends in combative stance against an Asian woman who looked back at them calmly.</p><p> </p><p>Thor was the one who stood the closest to the woman, a calculative, unreadable look on his face. He was standing shoulder to shoulder with Nebula, who was the first to realise that Tony was there, judging from the quick turn of her head towards him. Rhodes and Steve were talking to the woman, while Bruce watched quietly beside them with Clint, Bucky and Sam. Directly behind the good doctor was Peter, who stood protectively in front of Harley. The taller teenager had Morgan hanging by his hip and one hand wrapped in the same protective manner around Pepper. Tony didn’t know where the rest of his friends and allies were, but he figured they all had their duties regarding the aftermath of the battle. Half of the world’s population had just returned after all. Surely there were a lot of things they had to do. Tony didn’t know how long he’d been…<em>dead, </em>but looking at Pepper’s tear-swollen eyes, he guessed it hadn’t been that long. When Tony went closer to the group, his visitor turned her attention on him before he could properly announce his presence.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, Tony,” the woman said, a small smile on her face. “I see that you’ve finally awoken.”</p><p> </p><p>In unison, everyone else whipped their heads towards Tony, jaws dropping, eyes wide.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Tony,” </em>Pepper whispered, tears running freely as she ran into his arms. “Oh my God, <em>how</em>…?”</p><p> </p><p>“What the <em>fuck, </em>Tones?” Rhodes exclaimed, also rushing to hug Tony, and wrapping his arms around both Tony and Pepper.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know,” Tony said as he kissed Pepper’s tears away. “I don’t know how. Or why. I really don’t know. But I’m <em>so</em> grateful.”</p><p> </p><p>“Morgan,” Pepper said, reaching towards the little girl. “Morgan, darling. Come here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Peter, Harley,” Rhodes called, beckoning his hand toward the two teenagers. “You too, guys. Join the hug. You’re family <em>too, </em>remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, lady,” Clint’s voice was heard whilst Tony hugged his family. “There must be an explanation to- to <em>this, </em>right? So, you better fucking explain now.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will. Don’t worry,” the woman said. “I know you guys have questions, and I promise I will answer them. But I’m afraid you may not like the answers.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s fine,” Tony said, finally addressing the woman himself. “We’re used to terrible news. You’re welcome to just…get it over with. So, shoot.”</p><p> </p><p>The woman smiled and nodded. “Very well. I suppose we’ll have to start from the very beginning… My name is Quynh, and I'm immortal."</p><p> </p><p>For the next two hours, Quynh recounted her life story that span over three thousand years. It began with how she became immortal, and then how she was forced to roam the world when she couldn't hide her immortality anymore from her people. Then she met Andromache the Scythian. She was the oldest, about three thousand years older than Quynh was. They were together for over two thousand years, going through hundreds of battles side by side. Quynh didn't have to say it, but Tony could see the truth about both women. It was understandable though, considering the circumstances. It was just the two of them against the world, invincible and unseparable—until they found a third one, Lykon. But their time with Lykon didn't last long, because just several hundreds of years later, he died. That was the first time Andromache and Quynh realised that one day their bodies would just stop healing. It was a terrifying revelation, one that forced them to be more careful with their gift, now that they knew it could be taken from them any day.</p><p> </p><p>They dreamed of a fourth and a fifth one at the same time during the Crusades. Yusuf was the first one, followed shortly by Nicolo just several seconds later. It had never happened before, two immortals at the same time. But Quynh and Andromache didn't have the time to wonder about it, because they had more pressing matters to worry about. Namely how Yusuf and Nicolo were on opposite sides of the war, and seemed intent on killing each other again and again and <em>again</em>. The two women were on the other side of the world, and they quickly arranged a way to get to Jerusalem to find Yusuf and Nicolo and explain everything. To stop them from murdering each other. Then, the weirdest thing happened just a year later. Quynh and Andromache started to dream of Yusuf and Nicolo being civil to one another as they escaped the war together. And the dreams kept on changing as the relationship between the two men evolved. By the time Quynh and Andromache found them a couple of years later, they'd become more than friends. Lovers.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Soulmates.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The next one they found was Sebastien, who fought in the Napoleonic war. Quynh wasn't there though, when Sebastien joined the team. She was locked up in an iron maiden that was thrown into the ocean, back during the witch hunts in England in the 1500s. Andromache spent years tortured for being a witch until Yusuf and Nicolo rescued her. Then the three of them searched the world for Quynh. It was a quest that went on for decades, and only stopped when their search nearly got Yusuf and Nicolo arrested after they were accused of sodomy. Andromache rescued them, and then she made the decision to finally accept that she'd lost Quynh. When Sebastien joined them, they were both rejoiced and saddened. Sebastien was a great addition to the team, and they knew Quynh would have loved him.</p><p> </p><p>The four of them travelled the world together, saving people who needed it. They went through many riots and revolutions and wars. Andromache, who shortened her name to just Andy, was never the same after she lost Quynh. But she tried her best to keep things as they always were with Yusuf and Nicolo, who became Joe and Nicky in later years. It wasn't easy, but she managed. It helped that she had Sebastien, who became known as Booker. The man became broken after the death of his youngest son. Andy made sure that when she was feeling down and lonely, and unable to take another second around Joe and Nicky, she would take Booker with her. What none of the older immortals knew, however, was that Booker had grown to resent his immortality, to the point where he’d become desperate enough to betray his family to find a way to kill himself. <em>Permanently.</em></p><p> </p><p>Their latest addition had come very recently, just five years ago. Her name was Nile, and she died during her duty as a US Marine. She was literally the youngest of them all, only twenty-four years old when she became immortal. She was pretty close with Booker, whom she looked up to as if he was her big brother, what with the two of them being the youngest. When Booker's betrayal was revealed and his punishment was given, Nile tried her hardest to convince the others to let him off the hook with only an apology. But the others wouldn't agree, especially Joe, and Booker ended up with a punishment of a hundred years isolation. Joe argued that he couldn't forgive Booker so easily for endangering Nicky and Andy, who had become mortal after her very long years of living. When he was told the team's decision, Booker accepted it, despite Nile's protests. He said that it was more than he deserved.</p><p> </p><p>Booker had only gone through his punishment for six months when Quynh came to him.</p><p> </p><p>A small team of oceanographers found the iron maiden she was locked in not long after Booker was exiled. In her paranoia that her rescuers would become her jailers instead once they found out about her gift, she murdered them. She murdered seven of the oceanographers, sparing only one of them, the only woman in the group. Quynh asked the lone survivor to teach her everythig about the world that had changed during the centuries she’d spent down in the ocean. She also asked her to help her find Booker, whom she learned was the weakest link through her dreams, who was going through his punishment after betraying the team. Once Quynh decided that she was done with the oceanographer, she murdered her before she went to find Booker. The Frenchman was drinking himself stupid when Quynh came to him in France. She offered him a deal. She told him that she'd try to get Andy and the love birds to accept him again, if only he would take her to them. It took a lot of convincing because deep down, Booker was as loyal to Andy as ever, and he was worried that Quynh was going to hurt his <em>family </em>as a revenge for abandoning her. But in the end, his loneliness was so devastating that he took Quynh's offer.</p><p> </p><p>Booker was just taking her to his old associate Copley to get the team's location when the Decimation happened.</p><p> </p><p>The Decimation that took Andy and Joe.</p><p> </p><p>"Why didn't you come to us sooner then?" Tony asked, interrupting Quynh for the first time. "It's been five years since two of your team got Dusted. <em>Your family</em>. I figure it wasn't easy to lose them. You're now down to four, right? You, Nicky, Booker and Nile. Why did you come now?"</p><p> </p><p>A smile broke out on Quynh's beautiful face. But instead of making her look even more gorgeous, it made her look predatorial. Almost inhuman, actually.</p><p> </p><p>"Because we hadn’t dreamed of you yet," Quynh said in a sweet tone. Too sweet, it was bordering on terrifying. "But you know that, don't you, Tony?"</p><p> </p><p>And the room fell silent once more as everyone's attention returned to Tony.</p><hr/><p>Quynh was so different than Andy in so many ways. That was something that Nile noticed immediately upon meeting the woman. Even though she’d spent centuries locked up at the bottom of the ocean and was prone to psychotic breakdowns every now and then, she was warm where Andy was aloof. She carried herself with an energy that lacked the weariness Nile had noticed in Andy. When they finally met, Nile had spent two days in a safehouse in Indonesia with a feral Nicky, whom she had to chain to his bed after he tried to leave for the umpteenth time on their first day. Nicky was insistent that they had to scour the <em>world </em>to find Joe that instance, and Nile had to resort to killing him so that she could tie him down, because he wouldn’t listen to her. By the time Nile opened her door to Booker on their second day, exhausted both physically and mentally, she practically tackled Booker into a hug, who didn’t miss a beat in returning it. It took her a while to calm herself down before she could finally pull away from him, and only then did Nile notice the two companions he’d brought with him.</p><p> </p><p>The first one was obviously Copley, flashing her a quick smile when he shook her hand after she finally welcomed them inside the house. The second one was the woman whom she’d seen in her dreams. Quynh. Andy’s oldest companion. She was prettier than she was in Nile’s dreams, looking regal and confident in her simple blue t-shirt, skinny jeans and black leather boots. She gave a brief introduction, telling Nile that everything she needed to know she could ask Booker. Before Nile could say anything in return, Quynh was already heading towards the room where Nicky was, completely ignoring Nile’s question about how she knew that that was the former Crusader’s room. Nile couldn’t help herself when she followed Quynh into Nicky’s room, finding the woman kneeling down by Nicky’s side, gently running her fingers through his matted hair as she spoke softly in Genoese. Nicky’s reply was faint, barely above a whisper, but it was clear to everyone that he was calling out for Joe over and over again. It broke Nile’s heart to hear that. From where she was standing, she could see that Quynh shared the sentiment, and it caught Nile caught off guard a little. She turned to Booker, who was already standing right beside her, and found a sad smile tugging at his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Nicky’s always been Quynh’s favourite,” Booker explained quietly, keeping his voice down so he wouldn’t disturb the two older immortals in the room. “That’s what Joe always says. He’s Andy’s favourite, and Nicky’s Quynh’s. But their relationship is rather different. While Joe and Andy are more like a cheeky nephew and his fun aunt, Nicky and Quynh are like mother and son. She was the one who taught him archery, you know? It’s why he’s the best marksman in the world.”</p><p> </p><p>It made sense now.</p><p> </p><p>Why Nicky had had tears in his eyes whilst he was telling Quynh’s story that first night Nile dreamed of her, why Quynh asked countless times about Nicky’s condition during their phonecall.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go to the living room,” Nile said, nodding toward where Copley had been waiting patiently for them. “We have a lot to talk about.”</p><p> </p><p>Nicky had always been so kind to her. He always took care of her, even when the majority of his mind was already focused on Joe. It was time for someone to take care of him in return.</p><hr/><p>“So, you’re immortal.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. It means I can’t die.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck<em> off, </em>old man<em>.</em> I know what it means. ‘Sides, you <em>can </em>die, remember. It just…”</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll take a <em>really</em> long time to stick. I know.”</p><p> </p><p>They both fell silent then, standing side by side as they worked on a new suit Tony secretly meant for Harley. He wasn’t looking at the tall blond beside him, because he didn’t think that his heart could take whatever expression was in Harley’s blue eyes. The boy had always been very good at masking his true feelings, keeping his face devoid of emotion. It was another thing they both shared, souvenir from the trauma they had as children of neglectful fathers. Tony had always considered Harley to be his first actual child, before Peter cartwheeled into his life, before Morgan was born. Especially after Harley won a scholarship the next year and got into one of New York’s top-ranking high schools. The boy ended up living with Tony, who had insisted on it under the pretense of Harley being his live-in intern. Even after living with him for four years, the genius billionaire still had a hard time acknowledging the fact that Harley had grown up into an eighteen year old teenager. It was even harder for him to acknowledge that if it weren’t for the Snap, Harley would be <em>twenty-three</em> year old now. He could still clearly remember the day he stumbled into the blond’s garage all those years ago, back when Harley was only thirteen.</p><p> </p><p>It was insane how fast time flew.</p><p> </p><p>Quynh left right away after she’d finished telling Tony’s family and friends that he was immortal, and that he basically had to cut all ties with them. Obviously, no one would accept that. They’d only gotten Tony back. They weren’t going to let him go again. Not so soon. Harley, ever the expressive chatterbox that he was, said some considerably rude words to Quynh, which Peter quickly reprimanded despite the fact that he’d just snapped at Quynh himself. Even those like Bucky and Sam, who didn’t really know Tony, were against it. The only ones who kept quiet were Thor, who had been watching Quynh quietly since the woman came into the house; Nebula, who never talked much unless she was ticked off; and Morgan, who was too young to really understand what everyone was saying. Quynh patiently listened to everyone speaking their minds, a small but understanding smile on her face. When everyone finally finished talking, Quynh just said that she would give Tony time to think, and that she would come back in a week, this time with the rest of her team.</p><p> </p><p>Once the majority of his guests had politely excused themselves from his home, Tony held a meeting with his family. With Pepper, Rhodes, Happy, Harley, Peter, <em>and </em>Nebula. The last three additions to his family were surprised that they were included, but Tony insisted they <em>were </em>his family, and that they had the right to help him make his decisions. If the three of them looked a little teary-eyed, no one commented on it as they took their seats in the living room. Morgan was given a set of tools and materials and was told to build her own robot while the adults talked. Morgan’s eyes glinted in glee as she went to sit in the corner of the room, a big smile on her face the whole time she was working. It hurt Tony’s heart to see that smile, knowing that whether he agreed to join Quynh or not, one day he would never see his daughter’s smile again. When Tony asked his family what they thought he should do about Quynh’s offer, five of them told him to refuse it, giving various reasons to support their opinion. Nebula was the only who kept silent, eyeing everyone else closely.</p><p> </p><p>“What about you, Nebsy?” Tony asked, cutting Rhodes off mid-sentence. “You’ve been awfully quiet since the Vietnamese Goddess came here. What do you have mind?”</p><p> </p><p>Nebula took awhile to answer, looking extra careful with what she was about to say. “I don’t think you should outright say no to her offer.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What the hell?” </em>Peter yelped, at the same time Harley growled out, “Obviously, you’re out of your <em>fucking </em>mind.”</p><p> </p><p>“Boys, shut up,” Tony said quickly, giving them a warning look that got them to quiet down. Nebula flashed him a small smile before she continued.</p><p> </p><p>“When I say that Tony shouldn’t refuse Quynh’s offer, I was thinking that he should take it, but insist that he do it on his<em> own</em> terms. So he’ll get to see us all still,” Nebula explained.</p><p> </p><p>“But what if she insists?” Pepper countered. “What if she won’t let him go once he joins?”</p><p> </p><p>“I doubt that,” Nebula said firmly. “You heard the way she talked about her team. Her <em>family. </em>She cares about them. Especially the ones she called Andy and Nicky and Joe. I know she would understand the importance of family for Tony.”</p><p> </p><p>“She wouldn’t allow Booker and Nile to see theirs though,” Rhodes pointed out, earning identical, supportive nods from Harley and Peter. But the Luphomoid didn’t falter.</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t Quynh’s decision though. That was <em>Andy’s</em>,” Nebula corrected. “And I can understand why Andy decided on that. As someone who is more a machine than a living being, I can tell you how hard it is for me to accept the fact that I will always live on while Gamora will <em>always</em> die.”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone fell silent then, knowing how devastated Nebula had been to find Gamora disappear again after Thanos was defeated.</p><p> </p><p>“Why do you think I have to join them?” Tony asked a moment later, voice breaking at the end a bit.</p><p> </p><p>Nebula gave him one of her rare smiles before she answered him, the one he’d only ever seen her give his daughter. “Because you’re a selfless warrior, Tony. And no matter how hard you try to deny it, that’s the reason why you can never walk away from people in need. And according to Quynh’s story, that’s the quality that made them all, and now <em>you,</em> immortal.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Me</em>?” Tony said incredulously. He chuckled mirthlessly then, shaking his head in disbelief. “If that’s your theory, why didn’t it choose <em>Rogers</em>? The man’s an actual, decorated war hero, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>Nebula shrugged, her smile still present. “Well, I suppose I could be wrong. It doesn’t matter though, right? What matters is that you <em>will </em>join Quynh and her band of immortal warriors, so that you’ll still have a family when all of us are gone.”</p><p> </p><p>Easy to say, no one could argue with Nebula’s logic. And a decision was made shortly after.</p><p> </p><p>A week had passed since their talk. Quynh and her team would be coming anytime now.</p><p> </p><p>“Nebula was right, you know,” Harley said, bringing Tony back to the present.</p><p> </p><p>Tony blinked his eyes into focus, and for the first time that night, he turned to look at Harley. The blond had hit his growth spurt during his first year living with Tony, and by the time he’d turned eighteen, a few months before he got Snapped, he was already over six feet tall. The young genius finished high school in only two years, and Tony was there to help him settle into his dorm at MIT. People often remarked how Harley might as well as be Tony’s son for real, because the older he got, the more he reminded people of Tony. Looking at Harley now, Tony couldn’t help but remember what <em>his </em>own father had said to him in 1970, when he had encountered the old man at the old SHIELD head-quarters of all places.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Harley might not be his biological son, but he was as good as. Better than what Tony thought he deserved.</p><p> </p><p>“She does have that annoying habit of being right all the time, I suppose,” Tony said, grinning when his response managed to make Harley laugh. “That’s why she gets along super well with Pepper. They both have the annoying habit of proving me wrong. Don’t tell them I said that, by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>Harley smiled, which made him look younger. “I won’t. I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, kid… What was Nebula right about, by the way?”</p><p> </p><p>“You <em>are a </em>warrior. And nothing can stop you from helping people in need. It’s why I look up to you so much, Tony. Why Peter practically worships the ground you walk on. You’re a hero. <em>Our </em>hero.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony was speechless. He’d never really thought himself as a hero, even though he was Iron Man. Pepper did tell him that all the time, and even Rhodes and Happy did too, every now and then. But they were his oldest friends, so he thought it was in their job description to make him feel good by saying nice things about him. Harley though… To hear the boy calling Tony <em>his </em>hero, and Peter’s too? That was the best thing he’d ever heard anyone ever call him.</p><p> </p><p>“You sappy little shit,” Tony said as his eyes welled up with tears. He opened his arms and beckoned Harley toward him. “Come here, punk. I have to punish you with a hug for making me all weepy like this. You absolute <em>prick</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“I always knew you were secretly a softy,” Harley chuckled, his voice all nasally and wet as he returned Tony’s hug. When he spoke again, he sounded small and unsure, so different from how he was just moments before. “Promise me that you’ll be okay, won’t you? When every one of us is long gone, and thousands of years have passed.”</p><p> </p><p>Quynh’s story about Booker flashed in Tony’s mind, and he felt his heart ache at the thought of how Booker’s life would soon be <em>his </em>too. But he remembered his father’s words, and nodded, hoping that the smile he gave Harley was convincing enough. “I promise, kid. Don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p>Harley’s smile widened and he looked pleased. “I’m not worried. I know you’ll be fine. I just needed to hear it.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony tried to believe it when Pepper finally called for him and Harley, saying that their ‘guests’ had arrived. He kept repeating it in his mind as he went to greet Quynh and her team. Tony had trusted Harley when the boy was only thirteen, and he trusted him even more now that he was eighteen-but-actually-twenty-three. And if Harley said that Tony would be fine, then that was it.</p><hr/><p>At the rate they were going, Nile was sure Nicky was going to die from heartbreak. Sure, they were immortal, but everyone had always told her that Nicky and Joe were a package deal. That meant that wherever one went, the other would follow. With Joe's disappearance, it only made sense for Nicky to decide to...let go too. But both Booker and Quynh were adamant that Joe, and Andy, would return one day. And that meant they had to keep Nicky alive until that day came. They did everything they could to make sure of it; from moving him to Malta where he hopefully would feel more comfortable, to taking care of him hand and foot as if he was an infant. It wasn't as easy as Nile had expected though. When Nicky wasn't sneaking out of the safehouse to find Joe, he would do something monumentally stupid to get himself killed. Sometimes it was by his own hand, <em>literally</em>, with Joe's scimitar buried deep in his stomach. Other times he picked fights with lowlifes who wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Most often, however, the team would find Nicky on top of a tall building just seconds before he jumped off. It was probably the most difficult thing Nile had had to do in her whole life, keeping Nicky alive, and she'd done <em>a lot</em> of difficult things since the day she met Andy.</p><p> </p><p>With Andy gone, Quynh took over the leadership, and things were noticeably different with her. Her sole focus was the well-being of the team, and she made sure of that. The first thing she did upon assuming the role was to ask Copley to do everything he could to find out what had happened. The former CIA agent obliged without comment, providing them all with news on what the weird purple alien named Thanos had done. Quynh's face was unreadable as she processed the file from Copley, and when she finally spoke, she decided that the best and only thing they could do was to take care of Nicky and resume Nile's training. Booker asked her then whether they should go to Avengers Tower and help them find the people who’d disappeared. But Quynh said that while they were immortal, they weren't <em>super</em>, and that meant that they wouldn't be much help for the Avengers. Although Nile wasn't used to sitting around during a crisis, she could see the older woman's point. She might not like it, but she understood that there wasn't anything they could really do. So she took care of Nicky, made sure he ate his food and wasn't trying to get himself killed. When she wasn't playing nurse to Nicky, she would train with either Booker or Quynh, depending on which one wasn't on duty to take care of their heartbroken former Crusader. Copley helped sometimes, when he was visiting.</p><p> </p><p>However, Nicky wasn't the only one who needed help and constant attention. You didn't come out whole and sane after being drowned for five hundred years. There were times when Quynh would have psychotic breakdowns; when she wouldn't remember Booker and Nile and would try to kill them. Times when her nightmares would be the only thing that could snap Nicky out of his own stupor. It was probably the only times since they’d lost Joe and Andy that Nile saw Nicky lucid enough to go into Quynh's room and crawl into her bed, giving her a comforting hug that was not unlike the ones she would offer him in return. That was why they all didn't immediately resort to drugging Nicky, because they had hoped he would get better in time if he had Quynh to focus on. But while Quynh did slowly get better, thanks to many afternoons spent chanelling her anger through sparring with Booker, Nicky was the complete opposite. They could all see that it affected Quynh greatly, to see the man she loved almost like a son reduced to such a state. Nile had heard Quynh telling Booker once how the ancient warrior felt like it was her fault that Nicky had spiralled even worse. She felt like Nicky's energy was wasted on trying his best to fix her when he was struggling himself.</p><p> </p><p>Obviously, Nile called bullshit to that. But she could, and did, understand where Quynh was coming.</p><p> </p><p>"How are you doing?" Booker asked, taking a seat beside Nile on a rickety chair in the safehouse's living room. He had two bottles of beer in his hand, one of which he passed to Nile. She accepted it graciously. It was late and she couldn't sleep. Booker's company was very much welcomed.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine. But we know I'm not the one we should worry about," Nile said as she took a swig of her beer. It burned, like it always did. But it did not make her numb. She wished it would.</p><p> </p><p>"Just because I spend the majority of my time worrying over Nicky and Quynh doesn't mean I don't care about your well-being," Booker said, wise as ever. "I know it can't be easy for you. Nicky and Quynh have each other, no matter how poorly they substitute each other's soulmates. You, on the other hand, are stuck with me, Nile. Sorry about that, by the way."</p><p> </p><p>Nile smiled lightly punched Booker on the shoulder. The Frenchman flashed her a small smile in return. The both of them sat there quietly for sometime, drinking their beer as they absent-mindedly watched the movie playing on the TV. It had been three years since what the world called the Decimation. Three years since Andy and Joe turned to dust. Three years since Nicky spiralled into something beyond depression. Quynh had taken to sleeping with Nicky after the last time he tried to decapitate himself. It took almost an hour for him to recover from it, and Nile knew she wasn't the only one who had waited restlessly for him to wake up, the whole time thinking that that <em>was</em> it. That it was finally Nicky's time. When he finally woke up, he started screaming and thrashing hysterically, fighting against Booker's hold for his weapon. Copley, who was there at the time, ended up sticking two syringes of sedatives in him to knock him out. It turned out that he'd come to visit for exactly that reason. He never specified the contents of the drugs, just that it was strong enough to knock out a healthy horse. He assumed that Nicky's metabolism would burn through the effects of the drugs.</p><p> </p><p>Quynh was against it at first, believing that drugging Nicky was immoral. But after she saw how calm and peaceful Nicky was in his first ever sleep since Joe's disappearance, she relented. Nicky still had the occasional nightmares though, and it took only two nights of Nicky crying in his sleep for Quynh to decide on sleeping with Nicky. Taking Joe's usual position behind Nicky, she curled herself around him protectively, humming a song in a language Nile had never heard of. Nile and Booker usually left them alone whenever Quynh had to console Nicky through his nightmares. But when you were around each other almost all the time for over year, it was impossible for Nile not to accidentally barge into the room when she thought things were relatively good. The sight she stumbled upon was probably one of the sweetest and weirdest thing she'd ever seen. Quynh had her arms protectively around Nicky, who clutched onto her tightly even in his sleep. It <em>was</em> like seeing a mother and her son. And knowing how dangerous both Quynh and Nicky could be, it was jarring to see them so soft and vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>“Be honest with me, Book,” Nile started, her voice faint for fear that the two sleeping ancient warriors could hear her. She made sure that she chose her words carefully because she realised that even though he’d betrayed them, Booker still cared a lot about his <em>family. </em>“Do you think we’ll ever be able to find Joe and Andy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” Booker said in an instant without hesitation. “I do believe that we’ll find them one day. Or they’ll come back to us. Andy’s not the kind to leave her family behind, remember? And there’s nothing in this world that will stop Joe from coming back to Nicky. I <em>know </em>we’ll all be together again someday.”</p><p> </p><p>Nile nodded, feeling more reassured than ever that things would turn out for the better. Sighing heavily, she leaned her head on Booker’s shoulder, who wrapped one arm around her in a warm embrace. It felt nice. It <em>was </em>nice. Booker had always reminded her strongly of her own brother, whose presence was like a rock to Nile and her own mother after their father passed away. It was probably why she got along so well with the Frenchman.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you’re here, <em>mon</em> <em>frère</em>,” Nile said quietly, unsure of whether Booker would like it or not. She was immensely relieved when she heard him laugh as he hugged her tighter.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you’re here too, <em>ma petite sœur,</em>” Booker replied, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.</p><p> </p><p>They both pretended they didn’t notice the soft sniffles they heard from each other.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“Motherfu—great. Now we’re all wet.“</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Huh. Looks like we’re back.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“And where are we exactly?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not sure. But at least we’re out of that weird, void realm.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I think we’re in Singapore. That’s the Merlion, right? But it looks…different.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so dirty. And where the hell is the crowd of tourists?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“Shit, </em>where’re <em>Nicky and Nile? The last thing I remember was us in the chopper together before—“</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Before we got stuck in the Void.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“No, no, no… Andy, we’ve got to find them. We’ve got to find Nicky. We have to—”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Relax, Joe. We’ll find them. Don’t worry. It’ll all be okay. We’ll all be together again. I promise.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hanging by a thread</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Hello?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“You have no idea how glad I am that you never change your number.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“Joe? Is this…oh </em>shit. <em>Is this really you?”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“No, this is Jesus Christ. Of course it’s fucking me, Booker.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“</em>Fuck. <em>I can’t—are you with Andy?”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“She’s right next to me. Say hi, Andromache.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, Book.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh my God, it’s really— it’s really you two! You’re really back!”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Don’t sound so happy. You’re the only one we could call. Believe me, </em>I <em>wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t for that. Now, tell us what’s happened.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“…you know what. Come to Malta. We’ll all be there.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“What do you mean, Book? Booker. Booker! Fucking piece of shit, he hung up!”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, I suppose we have no choice then. To Malta it is.”</em>
</p><hr/><p>Tony was used to the constant and various big changes in his life. It was something he’d dealt with very often, since the day his parents had died. There was: him getting kidnapped by terrorists; his oldest friend and former mentor betraying him; his former assistant becoming his girlfriend (then his wife, and later the mother of his child); joining the Avengers, and  going through several petty fights between his team of super-powered idiots; his multiple near-death experiences; accidentally adopting two sons and a daughter before having his own biological child; and now becoming immortal. Through all of those changes, Tony liked to think he’d handled them pretty well. Granted, he did have Pepper and Rhodes to steer him in the right direction more often than not, which had saved his life far too many times, to the point where everyone felt uneasy about it. But the fact remained that Tony had experienced countless, drastic changes in his life, and he was ready for more in the future of his <em>very long life</em>.</p><p> </p><p>It still caught him off guard to meet his new team members though.</p><p> </p><p>When Tony came out to meet his guests in the living room, with Harley trailing behind him, he found that Quynh had more people with her than he’d expected. There were six of them, including Quynh, and they all quietly sat side-by-side on Tony’s couch. Tony’s own family—consisting of Pepper, Rhodes, Happy, Peter, Morgan and Nebula—were sitting across from them, all of them with a tense look on their faces except for Morgan, who was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. Upon Tony's arrival, everyone turned their heads in his direction, although Tony himself remained focused on his guests. Sitting beside Quynh was a beautiful woman with icy blue eyes. She looked to be around Pepper's age, but she had a look in her eyes that belied her ancient years. Tony knew instantly that the woman could only be Andromache the Scythian, or Andy for short. The true leader of this band of immortal warriors. There was a sense of stoic weariness on her face that Tony always saw on Thor these days, and her powerful body moved in the same elegant and self-assured way as the Thunderer. Tony couldn't help but to think that that was something common among millennia-old warriors.</p><p> </p><p>On Andy's other side, pressed closely to one another, were the ones Tony assumed could only be Joe and Nicky, the warriors from the time of the First Crusades. Joe was a big man who looked to be in his early thirties, with dark soulful eyes that kept on moving around warily, as though expecting an attack at any moment. He was curled protectively around his soulmate Nicky, who was practically sitting on Joe's lap. The former Crusader was so pale and skinny that it made Tony worry that he'd faint or fall over if Joe weren’t holding onto him. But then Nicky smiled at Tony, albeit weakly, and it caught the billionaire off guard. The smile was sweet and very heart-warming<em>, </em>and it made Nicky look even younger. It was a little unsettling. Tony knew that like Joe, despite looking to be in his early thirties, Nicky was actually almost a thousand years old. They didn’t look like that at all though, not even Joe, whose whole composure had relaxed slightly as he leaned towards Nicky to whisper something. For a split second, a memory from around six years ago came to Tony’s mind, of the time he found Harley hovering around Peter as the younger boy showed him something.</p><p> </p><p>It was about a year after he’d first introduced them to each other, a few months before the Decimation. Harley was originally a little awkward whenever he was around Peter, almost as if he was terrified to get too friendly with the younger teenager. But Peter was relentless, and admittedly much <em>too sweet </em>for anyone to stay aloof around him. It didn’t take long before the two of them became inseparable, practically attached at the hip as they wrecked havoc to the lab Tony specifically set aside for them. They spent a lot of time together, almost too much even, now that the billionaire thought about it. They would spend the night in each other’s room, have breakfast together, and then Harley would drive Peter to school before he went back to Stark Tower to continue on his work—whatever he felt like working on at that time. Sometimes Harley would even pick Peter up and they’d go to the movies or something, just the two of them. Tony was then reminded of the time when Pepper said she would have to talk to May Parker about a wedding plan.</p><p> </p><p><em>Holy fuck, </em>Tony cursed silently, stealing a glance at the two teenagers whom he’d long considered as his son.</p><p> </p><p>Both Harley and Peter were whispering to one another about God knew what, both of their faces much too close to each other for Tony’s sanity. The billionaire couldn’t help himself when he glanced at Quynh and Andy, who had looked at him first and had identical amused looks on their faces, as if they knew what he was thinking about. He wondered how they’d managed to deal with <em>their </em>adopted sons being love-sick fools for almost a thousand years. He’d only noticed about <em>his </em>adopted sons now, and he was already about to lose his shit. Deciding that he’d deal with it later, like <em>much </em>later, Tony turned his attention on the other two members of the immortals. Booker gave him a curt nod when his eyes caught Tony’s, and Nile flashed him an encouraging smile. The Frenchman was even bigger and taller than Joe, especially compared to Nile, who was actually a very tall woman herself. Tony had half a mind to wonder whether being tall was a requirement that no one had noticed yet. Looking at the two of them, and watching how they moved in sync, reminded Tony of how Clint and Natasha used to interact.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“If this was the last birthday party you were going to have, what would you do?”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>His heart broke when he thought of the redhead. As much as Tony appreciated the fact that he hadn’t died, he kind of felt that his immortality would be better suited for Natasha.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“I would do whatever I wanted to do, with whomever I wanted to do it with.”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The immortal warriors all listened quietly to Tony when he explained that he would join them as long as he was allowed to visit his family whenever he wanted to. A frown began to form on Andy's face, her aversion to Tony's request apparent. It was a look that she shared with Booker, who let out a heavy sigh even though he didn't look surprised. But just before Andy could tell Tony no, Quynh cut her off and said that as long as Tony and his family were prepared for whatever consequences may occur, she didn't see why Andy would have to say no. At first, Andy argued heatedly about it, flatly refusing and reminding Quynh about what Booker had suffered. But it only took Quynh promising that things would be different for Tony and his family for Andy to relent. Immediately, Nile protested, complaining on how <em>unfair</em> it was that Tony got to keep his family while Nile had to leave hers. Quynh calmly explained that firstly, since Tony's family had seen him die right in front of them before coming back to life, it would be hard to fake his death again. Secondly, for lack of a better word, Tony's family wasn't ‘normal’ like Nile's family. They had dealt with a lot of inexplicable things, so she was sure that watching Tony stay the same for years to come wouldn't affect his family much.</p><p> </p><p>Nile didn't take this very well. With her face set into a scowl, she stood up abruptly, announced to everyone that she would wait in their jet, and then marched out of Tony's house. Quynh didn't look the slightest bit sorry as she watched Nile’s retreating back. She did turn to Booker though, who sighed wearily and nodded before he went after Nile. Andy apologised on the girl's behalf and continued the conversation as if there had been no interruption. She asked Joe and Nicky once about what they thought of Quynh's decision. The love birds shrugged in sync, and Nicky in his soft voice said that he had no right to tell Tony to forget about his family when he'd been so broken after losing Joe for the past five years. At his lover's words, Joe pulled the man even tighter in his arms, burying his face in the crook of Nicky's neck as he murmured something in Arabic. Andy seemed satisfied with the answer, and didn't waste another second to welcome Tony into her team, the words leaving her mouth in a flat drawl. Quynh followed her lead, adding a supportive smile that she gave not only to Tony, but also to the rest of Tony's family. The billionaire could only murmur his thanks awkwardly, still at at a loss at what he was supposed to do next. Fortunately, Nicky was kind enough to help him with it, suggesting to Andy that they should leave Tony to say goodbye to his family. The oldest immortal agreed, and, in unison, the four of them thanked Tony's family for their time before leaving.</p><p> </p><p>“Please don’t hate him for his immortality,” Nicky told Tony’s family before he left, Joe’s arm wrapped around his waist. “Don’t hate him for something he couldn’t control. He’s still the same Tony that you all know and love.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony decided right then and there that Nicky was his favourite.</p><hr/><p>Booker ended up flying all the way to Singapore to get Joe and Andy for obvious reasons. It was a day after Nile convinced him that she’d be alright to take care of Nicky all by herself, two days after Joe’s phone call, and three days after Quynh left to meet Stark. He was grateful that Quynh had decided to keep Copley’s private jet that they came with five years ago. As proven by Joe and Andy, he doubted that there would be any flights that would fly him <em>anywhere </em>so shortly after the return of everyone who had been Decimated. After all, half of the world’s population just popped back into existence out of nowhere, including Joe and Andy. As Booker flew across the world to get his family back, he couldn’t help the almost overwhelming joy he felt at the thought of seeing Joe and Andy again. He didn’t even mind that the first thing Joe did upon seeing him was to <em>punch </em>him right in the nose. He just wiped the blood away and tackled Joe—<em>his annoying, temperamental big brother—</em>in a hug, laughing and sobbing at the same time as he buried his face in Joe’s neck. Booker didn’t give the man time to decide how he was going to react before he turned to hug Andy, who handled his hug-attack a little better, despite the slightly surprised look on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>You’re back,” </em>Booker whispered in French to the woman, hugging her tightly. “<em>Oh my God, I can’t believe it. You’re </em>really <em>back! For real!”</em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>I’m here,</em> Sebastien,” Andy replied in French as well, gently stroking his back. “<em>I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s happened, Booker?” Joe asked impatiently. He was frantically eyeing the plane, waiting for Nicky to come out. He grew even more restless when he realised Booker had come alone. “Where’s Nicky? Where’s Nile? Why are you the one picking us all up?”</p><p> </p><p>His question sobered Booker up, and dread started to fill him as he wondered how he should tell Joe that the love his life was broken after his disappearance. “Before I begin, I want you to know that a lot has happened, okay? You’ve been gone for quite a long time, Joe. In case you haven’t noticed, the whole world is a bit of a mess right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” Joe asked again, his face paling as hurried onto the plane. “What’s wrong? Is…is Nicolò alright? Book? Why isn’t he with you? Where is he?”</p><p> </p><p>“Joe, calm down,” Booker quickly said as he went after Joe, Andy following behind him. “Nicky’s with Nile. He’s back at the safehouse in Malta. He’s… he’s alright.”</p><p> </p><p>That was a mistake. That half-second Booker took caught Joe’s attention in an instant. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again.</p><p> </p><p>“You hesitated,” Joe said, eyes narrowed. He might be a couple of inches shorter than Booker but at that moment, Joe seemed twice his size as he took a step closer to him.</p><p> </p><p>“I told you, he’s alright. You’ve got nothing to worry—“</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Don’t </em>lie to me, Book. I want you to tell me the truth now.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not lying to you, you stubborn prick.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker had no doubt that Joe would have killed him right then and there if Andy hadn’t intervened.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Stop it,”</em> Andy snapped in Arabic, just before Joe’s arms went to grab Booker by his neck. “You can kill him once we’ve reunited with everyone. Got it, Joe?”</p><p> </p><p>“But Andy—“</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Yusuf.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Joe clenched his jaw and dropped his hands, glaring at Booker murderously as he spat, “<em>Fine. </em>I get to kill him three times though.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can kill me as many times as you like, Joe,” Booker said, the beginning of a joking smile on his face. But he quickly dropped it when Joe flexed his hands threateningly.</p><p> </p><p>“You said we’ve been gone for a long time,” Andy said, effectively redirecting Booker and Joe’s attention from each other. “How long exactly do you mean, Book?”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, five years?” Booker said. He quickly went to the cockpit to start the plane’s engine, ignoring the glare Joe was still giving him. “Give or take.”</p><p> </p><p><em>“Five years?</em>” Andy repeated incredulously. “How is that even possible? It only felt like a minute.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker shrugged, already gearing the plane to take off. “It really has been five years though, whether you want to believe me or not. That’s why I said a lot has changed.”</p><p> </p><p>“And what do you mean by that? What’s changed in the past five years?” Andy was already taking her seat beside Joe, one hand reaching out to hold Joe’s in a supportive manner. Regardless of what she’d just found out, she looked perfectly serene as she watched the clouds rush pass them from the windows. There was even a smile on her face.</p><p> </p><p>Booker almost felt guilty that he was going to wipe that smile off her face.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, for starters, Quynh is back.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I beg you pardon?”</em>
</p><hr/><p>Living with the immortals was weirdly…<em>normal. </em>And domestic.</p><p> </p><p>Firstly, he didn’t think they’d be going around on a private jet. Secondly, he didn’t think they’d be living in a freaking <em>mansion</em>. Sure, Tony probably had shares in ten airlines, and owned two manors at least in every country in the world. But that didn’t mean that he was ignorant to the fact that not everyone in the world lived as lavishly as he did. He managed to refrain himself from asking about it, although that did have something to do with how he was still a little shocked. A lot had happened in the span of a week, and while Tony was used to changes, that didn’t mean he didn’t have problems processing them. He spent the whole eleven hours of flight to Malta in silence, watching the way the immortals were interacting with one another. Booker was up front in the cockpit, the love birds were sitting together, and Nile had taken the seat the farthest from them. The youngest of the immortals had her earphones in her ears, stubbornly avoiding everyone’s eyes as she listened to whatever song was playing on her phone.</p><p> </p><p>When they finally arrived, Tony couldn’t help himself as he gawked at the mansion in front of him. It was obvious that the building was a few hundred years old. When Quynh had told him that they were going to their safehouse in Malta, he truly wasn’t expecting a manor. He quickly masked his surprise though, as he followed everyone inside. He listened with rapt attention when Quynh gave him a quick tour of the house, showed him where his room was, and told him the schedule for his training, which would start the next day. It was nearing four in the morning by then, and with Andy’s approval, they all agreed that it was time for them to sleep. Tony’s room was right next to Booker’s, which was across from Nile’s. The Frenchman offered to help Tony unpack, but he politely declined, his eyes catching Nile’s figure from over Booker’s shoulder. Judging from the slight frown on her face, Tony had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate Tony getting all chummy with Booker. Understandable, really. Tony used to be incredibly possessive of Rhodes too. He didn’t like it when people got too close to his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>Tony didn’t really sleep that night, even though he had to admit that the bed’s mattress was actually pretty comfortable. He was just so used to sleeping with Pepper in his arms that the lack of her presence unsettled him. He ended up sleeping for only two hours, which wasn’t really that bad, considering that he’d once spent fifty hours awake with only three hours of sleep. He was sort of grateful to hear Booker’s voice calling him for breakfast. He found the whole team in the dining room, talking quietly as they ate the food that Joe told him Nicky had cooked for them. Tony was a little surprised when Nile pulled a seat next to her for him, but he wisely stopped himself from making a comment about it and just thanked her. Catching the way Booker smiled approvingly, Tony understood that the man had probably said something to Nile. He nodded his gratitude at Booker, who returned it with another smile. If the others noticed the interaction, they did a great job pretending that they didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Quynh was telling him the details of his training, with additions every now and then from Andy, when Nicky reminded them all of Tony’s real talent—which was building machinery. Joe supported his lover’s suggestion, saying that Tony’s creations could ensure that they have weapons that were safer and more effective. He considerately added, with much love and respect, that Andy would benefit from the weapons the most, considering her newly-mortal condition. Andy clenched her jaw at that even though she nodded her agreement. Fortunately, Nile was quick to ease the tension, joking about how Andy couldn’t even operate the old 2000's Nokia phone, let alone Stark-tech. The whole team laughed at that, and Booker recounted the stories of the many times Andy had nearly thrown her phone across the room because she couldn’t understand how to use it. Annoyed at everyone making fun of her, she immediately turned the teasing onto Nicky, who was just as clueless as she was about modern technology when it wasn’t gun-related. When Nicky mock-protested about, Joe laughed the loudest.</p><p> </p><p>And Joe laughing was one of the most beautiful sights Tony had ever seen. Third only after Morgan’s birth and the day he saw Pepper walk down the isle towards him. Looking at everyone around him, he could see that he wasn’t the only who thought so. Andy and Quynh had identical grins on their beautiful faces, and Booker and Nile were laughing along with Joe. Nicky though, he was looking at Joe with so much love and devotion Tony would have looked away, if he wasn’t so transfixed by the unfairly beautiful man in front of him. Joe’s laughter was very genuine, and there was a bit of a child-like quality to it. The best part was the way it lit up his whole being, starting from his soulful eyes to his crooked smile. When his laughter slowly subsided, Joe still managed to send a mischievous wink at Nicky, who was clearly biting back a grin. It was sickeningly sweet, and Tony had seen the way Steve Rogers pined after Bucky Barnes.</p><p> </p><p>“Please forgive these two ancient, lovesick idiots,” Nile said with a smile, the first words she said to Tony since the previous day, which he definitely took as a good sign. “I’d love to say that you’ll get used to it one day, but Joe and Nicky can be <em>really </em>creative when it comes to finding new ways to get arrested for public indecency.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Joe yelped, looking amused rather than offended. “We’re not <em>that </em>bad, Nile. You’re making it out as though Nicky and I are horny reprobates.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s kind of what you are though, Joe,” Andy quipped, grinning. “Remember that time in 2014?”</p><p> </p><p>Joe rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her. “Okay, that was one time.”</p><p> </p><p>“What about that time in 1999?”</p><p> </p><p>“In our defense, it was our nine-hundredth anniversary.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine, I suppose we can allow that one.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Nine-hundredth</em>?” Tony repeated, awed. “Wow, you two <em>really</em> have been together that long.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re from the Crusades, remember?” Booker said. “Didn’t Quynh tell you they’re almost a thousand years old?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive,” Tony replied. “I mean, I know Thor and Loki are over a millennia too, but they don’t know that much about human history. <em>You </em>do, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yes,” Nile said, nodding her head in agreement. “While Andy and Quynh are practically <em>dinosaurs </em>compared to everyone here—“</p><p> </p><p>“Such insolence,” Quynh retorted dryly, which Nile ignored.</p><p> </p><p>“—Joe and Nicky have <em>always </em>been in the middle of historical events. Like during the Reinassance.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Especially </em>during the Renaissance,” Booker corrected. He gestured at their surrounding and said, “This mansion has been around since the time of the Medici, you know? It was a gift from Giuliano de Medici, who was—“</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, time for your training, old man!” Joe quickly said, and Tony would have missed the warning glare Joe directed at Booker if he wasn’t watching. Unfortunately for Tony, who still wanted to know more about the many adventures Joe and Nicky had had, everyone seemed to back Joe up.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yes, I almost forgot about that,” Nicky said without missing a beat. “Since you won’t be using your Iron Man suit, we’ll have to figure out what weapons you feel comfortable with the most. And we’ll start with the easiest—guns.”</p><p> </p><p>“But that is until you can make something that you feel <em>more </em>comfortable with,” Quynh added. “Joe’s right after all. That is your gift, and you mustn’t forget it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright,” Tony said. “And who will be teaching me?”</p><p> </p><p>Tony thought it would be Nicky, since he was the team’s marksman. Or Booker, who had had an AK-47 strapped to his back when he came to Tony’s house. Or at least Nile, with all of her Marine experience.</p><p> </p><p>Tony wasn’t at all expecting it when he saw Andy rise up from her seat with a small smirk on her face and calmly said, “Me.”</p><p> </p><p>Something told him he’d be dying at least a hundred times that morning.</p><hr/><p>“Nicolò. Nicolo, it’s me. Come back to me, <em>habibi. </em>Come back to me. Nicolò, <em>per favore. </em>It’s me. It’s Yusuf. <em>Your Yusuf. Sono qui. Sono qui, hayati. </em>And I’ll never leave you ever again. Nicolò, <em>'uqsim 'anani ln 'atarikak maratan 'ukhraa.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>As horrible as it was, Booker couldn’t help but be grateful about the Decimation.</p><p> </p><p>There was no doubt in his mind that if the Decimation hadn’t happened, Quynh wouldn’t have been <em>so nice </em>to Andy and Joe upon meeting them again for the first time after five hundred years. None of his elders had ever truly said it, but it was Joe who had been the first to support Andy’s decision to stop looking for Quynh. Booker only knew that Andy had decided on it because Joe and Nicky would have suffered the same fate she and Quynh had, if she hadn’t broken them out of prison. But Booker had been with them for two centuries, long enough for him to pick up pieces of what had happened back then. He figured out that it had something to do with the fact how Joe was always so frantic whenever he woke up first before Nicky. Booker believed that Quynh <em>would </em>eventually come around on her own if there was no Decimation, probably after she’d stabbed Andy once and drowned Joe at least a hundred times. She’d maybe shoot Nicky twice, but only to make it fair, because everyone knew that Nicky was her favourite. But even then, if there had been no Decimation, Booker doubted that Quynh would truly have forgiven Andy and Joe.</p><p> </p><p>Nile immediately ran to hug Andy the moment she saw her, always the most gentle out of the seven of them. When she turned to Joe, ready to give the man the same bone-crushing hug she’d just given their leader, she’d found that Joe had rushed into the room where Nicky was, pretty much in the same way Quynh had done five years prior. Booker’s heart went out for his big brother when he heard Joe’s heart-breaking sob upong seeing the love of his life. He understood how it must have shocked Joe to his core. Booker had seen Nicky in that state for five years, and it still destroyed him ever single time. He could only imagine how much worse it was for Joe. Making sure that his steps were light, Booker slowly joined Joe in Nicky’s room, silently watching the man whispering softly to Nicky as he held the man tightly like he always had for almost a millennium. It took awhile, but in the end, Nicky came back to himself. His green eyes were clear from the fog of despair that had clouded them for the past five years when he looked at Joe, his lips slowly quirking into his gentle smile. Booker would rather stab his eyes with a fork than admit it, but watching both men—<em>his brothers—</em>talk fast in between tearful kisses brought tears to Booker’s own eyes. Joe and Nicky were soon lost to each other, ignoring the rest of the of world like they were prone to do.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s leave them to it,” Andy said, catching Booker off guard a little bit. He hadn’t realised she was standing behind him. “We both know how they are.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course,” Booker agreed as he led her to the dining room, where Nile was heating up last night’s leftovers. “I owe you an explanation after all.”</p><p> </p><p>The three of them talked for hours, even after they’d finished with their late lunch. Booker left most of the talking to Nile, unless it was his turn to tell them about how he’d found Quynh in his apartment. He made sure to leave out his suspicions of Quynh’s original intentions to exact revenge, not knowing exactly how Andy would react to that knowledge. He watched Andy’s face closely, trying to read what she felt about the return of the woman she’d loved for centuries. Andy had always been good at keeping her face devoid of emotion though, something that Booker had learned from her. She remained calm and collected for the rest of day, even when Joe and Nicky finally emerged from their room. Joe carefully let Nicky go so that he could greet Andy with a hug. Booker could faintly hear Nicky telling Andy how he’d missed her in Genoese, and in return Andy reprimanded him for being so careless with his life. Nicky looked a little bashful at that, his hand automatically reaching out for Joe, who readily stepped forward to wrap his arms around the both of them. They spoke more in Genoese before Andy turned to Booker and Nile and nodded. There were no words needed to elaborate what that nod meant. Booker knew instantly what she wanted.</p><p> </p><p>“You old saps,” Nile said softly, sniffling slightly as she hugged the three older immortals.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Akhrusi, ya ukhti,</em>” Joe said in a teasing tone. “Everyone knows you love us old saps.”</p><p> </p><p>“You too, Booker,” Nicky quipped, his voice still hoarse from disuse. Apparently he’d noticed that Booker hadn’t moved from his spot.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, it’s fine,” Booker said, shaking his head. “I remember that my punishment hasn’t really been lifted. I’m really fine with—“</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Ya Allah,</em> Sebastien,” Joe snapped impatiently as he roughly pulled Booker to join the hug. “Get the fuck over here right now and hug us, dammit. I’ll find another way to punish you, but considering everything that has happened, I think it’s safe to say that your old punishment no longer applies.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker hesitated, even though his arms were already awkwardly circling around Joe and Nile. “Are you sure? I mean, you’re not—“</p><p> </p><p><em>“Fucking hug us before I break your face, Booker!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Alright, alright!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>As Booker buried his face into Nile’s hair to hide his tears, he couldn’t help but be grateful that the Decimation <em>had </em>happened. It might have been the worst thing to happen in the history of mankind, and Booker’s own life hadn’t exactly been a-walk-in-the-park for the past five years. But the Decimation had brought him back his family, and that was the most important and valuable thing in his wretchedly long life. And like always, Nicky was right.</p><p> </p><p>Everything <em>did </em>happen for a reason.</p><hr/><p>It was weird watching people mourn your death.</p><p> </p><p>Especially since you were still very much alive. Or to be more accurate, <em>unable </em>to die. For a whole month, every time Tony turned on the TV at the mansion, all the news seemed able to report on was his death. As if the half of the universe’s population didn’t suddenly come back <em>literally </em>out of thin air. Even worse, Tony barely saw anything about Natasha. It was like people forgot that she was an Avenger too, one of the originals, in fact. Hell, Tony wouldn’t even <em>be </em>an Avenger if Natasha hadn’t convinced him to take Fury’s offer. He admitted that he was kind of a dick with how flippant he’d acted when he first realised what it meant that Barton returned alone without Natasha. But that was because he was an emotionally inept bastard. But now that he’d had more time to really accept what had happened, he became furious. With himself, with his old team, with everyone who had joined the fight against Thanos—with the <em>world. </em>Natasha deserved better. And if Tony wasn’t pretending to be dead, he’d have held the wake she fucking deserved.</p><p> </p><p>It really should be Natasha instead of him. She should be the one with the immortality.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>Tony blinked back into the present and turned around to find Joe standing by the door of the basement they’d all agreed to be Tony’s workshop. Looking at the modified bulletproof vest in front of him, Tony took a second to figure out how to explain retro-reflective panels to the nine-centuries old warrior in front of him before he spoke. “I’m working on how to make a vest which will make the person who wears it disappear. By adding these panels. Problem is, I can’t figure out how to make the shield cover all of the body when it comes only from the panels on the vest.”</p><p> </p><p>Joe tilted his head to the side, seemingly trying to process Tony’s words as he made his way forward. With those soulful eyes and his gestures, the man kind of reminded Tony of a puppy. He reached out his hand to touch the vest, holding it tentatively in his hands after he’d poked it a few times. “Are these panels what you call the um… the retro… the retro… shit, I can’t remember what they’re called, but I know they’re for stealth mode.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Cool, right?”)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>(“That’s actually a good idea.”)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“They’re called retro-reflective panels,” Tony said quietly. If Joe noticed how his voice wavered at the end, he was kind enough to ignore it.</p><p> </p><p>But it was hard to stop himself from flinching when Joe gave him his trademark crooked grin, nodding his head proudly at the fact that he knew and understood Tony’s work. It made Tony feel bad when Joe’s grin faltered upon seeing the way Tony flinched. He quickly lowered the vest as gently and carefully as possible, a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to touch your stuff. Modern technology fascinates me, you know? But Booker is a shit teacher, and we don’t get that many chances to really try all those gadgets you have these days. So, most of the time I learn about everything myself.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no. It’s fine, really,” Tony quickly said. “I don’t mind you touching my work. My d-daughter used to do that, and it’s impossible to tell a toddler to not touch things.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I see,” Joe hummed, understanding. “You miss your child. And what I did reminded you of her.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. And no. Well.” Tony sighed, feeling <em>so old </em>all of a sudden—and he was only fifty-three. “You did remind me of my child. But not Morgan. The other one. Harley, my oldest.”</p><p> </p><p>“The blond one?” Joe asked, face scrunching up adorably in a way that should be illegal for a thirty-three-year-old-who-was-actually-nine-centuries-old.</p><p> </p><p>Tony nodded. “Yeah, that one. Technically, he’s not really my son. We’re not even related. We met when I was in a really bad place, and that kid helped me. He gave me a <em>purpose. </em>He made me believe in myself again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. The whole thing when your house was blown up and everyone thought you were dead.”</p><p> </p><p>“How did you—you know what, I don’t even want to know. Anyway, I met Harley and he was such a little shit, you know? I couldn't fucking stand him. So, after I’d saved the day from another bitter genius like Aldrich Killian, I made sure I kept in contact with the little asshole who had the gall to save my life. Because he manipulated me into believing that we were <em>connected</em> for real. I directed him to whichever school he wanted and opened my house for him so that he could get away from the toxic environment of his neighbourhood. At first, it worked well that way. I could keep my eyes on him practically 24/7 as his beneficiary, and he could help me every now and then as my intern. But of course, fucking sentiment got in the way, and I ended up caring about the kid. It didn't help that his mother and sister died a couple of years after he started living with me. Car crash."</p><p> </p><p>“Then you practically adopted the kid.”</p><p> </p><p>“You could say that, I suppose.”</p><p> </p><p>Joe hummed and turned his attention back on the vest. “And what’s that got to do with retro-reflective panels? You didn’t explain that.”</p><p> </p><p>“That was what Harley said, when we first met. He told me what he’d do to my suits if he’d been the one to design them. Even at only thirteen he’d been too smart for his own good.” A fond smile began to form on his face as Tony remembered how Harley was back then. He really was <em>such </em>a little shit.</p><p> </p><p>God, but he <em>really </em>missed his children. And it’d only been a couple months.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you miss him?” Joe asked, catching Tony off-guard. He was toying with one of the panels, dark-eyes watching Tony closely. “Do you miss your children? Is that why you’ve been avoiding us the whole day? Under the pretense of building something for us.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony scowled, his temper flaring slightly. It wasn’t that he was offended by Joe’s question. It was more because his question, the way he asked it like he could read Tony so easily, which he apparently could, reminded Tony even more of Harley. They might not look anything like each other, but everything Joe did was a strong reminder of the blond. It was even worse when Joe was with Nicky, because then Tony would start seeing Peter too. While the former Crusader didn’t act much like Peter, not in the way Joe was <em>a lot</em> like Harley, his gentle heart and the all-around genuine kindness he displayed over and over again was <em>just </em>like the young superhero. Then there was the way that Joe and Nicky always gravitated towards one another, pretty much in the same way Tony remembered Harley and Peter always did. It was why he always chose to hang around Booker, who gave him an understanding smile whenever Tony abruptly joined him after leaving the room where Joe and Nicky were. Unlike what the others seemed to believe, Booker actually understood why <em>exactly </em>people like him and Tony found it hard to be around Joe and Nicky.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Everybody wants a happy ending, right?”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Who put you up to this?” Tony said instead of answering Joe’s question. “Was it Quynh? Or Booker? It <em>is </em>him, isn’t it? That tattletale.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s just me,” Joe said. “I’ve seen what longing for one’s family can do. What it did to Booker. And I don't want that to happen to you too. Granted, your case is different than Booker's, but the point stays the same. Immortality is lonely, especially when you have to watch everyone you love die."</p><p> </p><p>"So, I'm your pet project now, because you feel like you failed Booker," Tony said before he could stop himself. He immediately felt guilty when he saw the way Joe flinched, knowing that he'd really hurt the man. Tony had been around the team long enough to know that upsetting Joe brought out guilt equivalent to what one would feel after accidentally stepping on a dog's tail.</p><p> </p><p>But before Tony could apologise, Joe already cut him off. "Yeah, it's something like that, I suppose. I made a mistake with Book, and I'm not going to repeat it with you. You're part of the family now, Tony, whether you like it or not."</p><p> </p><p>And with that, the nine-hundred year old warrior left.</p><p> </p><p>Tony still wished he knew why it was him and not Natasha. At least she wouldn't be so emotionally inept that she'd hurt everyone who wanted to help her.</p><hr/><p>Quynh returned from talking to Tony Stark the day after Booker had brought Andy and Joe back to Malta, just hours after their group hug. She arrived back on Copley's chopper with the man himself. They were all in the middle of breakfast when Quynh announced her own arrival and Copley's. Andy tensed up upon hearing Quynh's voice, her hand freezing in midair whilst reaching for her drink. She only relaxed slightly when Joe put a supportive hand on her shoulder, even though everyone could see how the man was just as tense as Andy was. Quynh was in the middle of talking to Copley about how they'd cover up Stark's traces once he'd joined them, when she finally came into the room, faltering in mid-sentence the moment her eyes saw on the scene in front of her. She looked at Nicky first, who offered her a small smile and a shy wave. She ignored him completely, even though she fully realised that it was the first time in five years that Nicky had joined them for breakfast. That was to be expected, and so her entire focus seemed to settle on the two new but painfully familiar faces at the table.</p><p> </p><p>There was a cold look of fury when Quynh turned her attention on Joe, who understandably looked guilty although he bravely held Quynh's gaze. It felt like minutes before Quynh finally backed down, her eyes softening as she flashed Joe a tentative smile. It was obvious that Joe was just as nervous as Andy was about Quynh's reaction to seeing him after five-hundred years. It looked like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders when he let out a wet laugh, his whole being seemed to almost glow in his elation. Nicky may be Quynh's favourite, but it didn't mean she wasn't close with Joe. They both shared a great love of art, and often traded their works with each other. Joe would give her suggestions on how to improve her secret drawings of Andromache, and Quynh would bring him poetry books from wherever in the world she'd been to. They bickered like siblings would, but never failed to support one another. The longer they looked at each other, the bigger the smiles on their faces grew. But Booker noticed how their smiles dimmed slightly when Joe saw Quynh turned to Andy and made her way towards the older immortal. Andy, for her part, stayed in her seat, an unreadable look on her face as she watched Quynh.</p><p> </p><p>“Andromache,” Quynh said slowly, her eyes hardening again.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello, Quynh,” Andy said in return, her head tilted to the side, eerily reminiscence of how Joe often looked when he was thinking. “Are you going to kill me for breaking my promise? I’m a mortal now, in case no one’s told you yet.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker’s breath hitched along with everyone else at Andy’s question. Even though they all knew how she always liked to get straight to the point, it still caught them off guard every now and then.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not,” Quynh replied softly. “I did a lot of thinking in the past five years. It helped that Booker and Nile helped me to see how impossible it was to find something as small as a coffin at the bottom of the ocean, when it took twentieth-century technology over eighty years to find a sunken ship. They tried to explain everything to me to help me to better understand what you and Yusuf and Nicolò did. Well, whatever it was, they knew that they could help me to see reason.”</p><p> </p><p>“If I may ask, what exactly did they tell you?” Andy asked, her eyes glancing briefly at Joe and Nicky, whose jaws were clenched.</p><p> </p><p>“They told me how you and Yusuf and Nicolò tried to find me for a century, to the point that it nearly cost them their freedom,” Quynh began, causing Joe and Nicky to flinch at the memory of what had happened to them. “Booker and Nile explained to me that you made the decision to stop looking only because you knew that if what happened to me happened to either Yusuf or Nicolò, they wouldn’t be able to last a day. Because they are two halves of a whole. One cannot function without the other. So, you decided on sacrificing your happines and my sanity for their everything.”</p><p> </p><p>“Quynh—“ Nicky started, but she ignored him and continued talking.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’ve seen what separation did to them. <em>To Nicky. </em>I spent five-hundred years in the bottom of the ocean, but I don’t think I’d ever felt the agony that Nicky went through in the past five years. And I understand. You were nursing your own heartbreak. You wouldn’t have been able to take care of either of them if the other were thrown into the sea like I was. The both of you wouldn’t have survived it.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>They cut him into pieces, Quynh,” </em>Nicky whispered in Genoese, speaking out before Andy could. <em>“They cut </em>my <em>Yusuf into pieces. They’d heard about you and figured out that we were the same. They decided on killing just him though, separating his head and limbs from his body, and were going to spread them all over the seas. To make sure he would </em>never <em>wake up again. Andromache saved him—saved </em>us. <em>But because of those sadistic </em>monsters, <em>it took Yusuf a whole agonising week to fully recover. I thought I was going to lose him for real.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>“What the fuck,” Booker breathed out, feeling sick all of a sudden at the image Nicky’s story had brought into his mind. “<em>Merde, </em>it makes so much sense now…”</p><p> </p><p>“What did he say?” Nile asked quickly, sharing a look of confusion with Copley. “You know my ancient Italian is still—“</p><p> </p><p>But Quynh cut her off as she went to Joe and Nickt to sweep them into her arms. Booker caught sight of the look on her face, and he couldn’t help but to think that those people who’d killed Joe were very fortunate. He had no doubt that if they were still alive, Quynh would have hunted them down and made their deaths as painful as possible. It was clear from the rage in her face, the way her eyes flashed dangerously with fury, that she would be more than glad to avenge Joe and Nicky. Hell, even Booker himself wanted nothing more than to make those people suffer for what they’d done to Joe and Nicky. He was half-considering finding the descendants of those people as he watched Quynh speaking fast to Joe and Nicky in a combination of both Genoese and Arabic. Looking at the way Nile’s eyes widened in terror after Andy explained to her what Nicky had just said, he wouldn’t be surprised if the thought crossed the young woman’s mind too.</p><p> </p><p>“Andromache,” Quynh said a while later when she finally let go of Joe and Nicky, tears still running down her face. “Andromache, come here please.”</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” Andy asked. She looked a little wary as she approached her three oldest companions. “Were you three planning on—“</p><p> </p><p>For the first time in five-hundred years, Quynh kissed her.</p><p> </p><p>In all of his two hundred years living with Andy and Joe and Nicky, Booker had <em>unfortunately </em>walked in on them in various comprimising and very traumatising positions. Weirdly enough, he’d walked in on Andy and her lovers even more than he’d walked in on the love birds. But never once, not in all those years, had he ever seen that dumbstruck look on Andy’s face. The moment Quynh pressed her lips against Andy’s, kissing her soundly, it was almost like some ghost had taken over Andy from the way she just stood there with her hands hanging by her sides, shocked. It didn’t take Andy long to recover though, because she had soon cupped Quynh’s face with her right hand while her left hand pulled Quynh closer by her waist. It was almost a full twenty seconds before they pulled apart, identical smiles on their beautiful faces. And Booker couldn’t help but to notice how that smile seemed to transform Andy into someone else completely. She looked breathtaking with it, almost like a goddess for real.</p><p> </p><p>“Just you and me?” Andy said.</p><p> </p><p>“No,” Quynh said, which made Andy’s smile falter a bit. But then she pressed a quick onto Andy’s lips and said, “It’s no longer just the both of us, Andromache. It’s never been that way. It’s us, and Yusuf, and Nicolò, and Booker, and Nile. And even <em>Copley</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nice to know I’m not forgotten,” Copley quipped, prompting a laugh from everyone.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve been a great help to us all, Jim,” Nile said, giving him a flirtatious wink that would make Joe proud.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright then,” Andy said, with a smile that had somehow only gotten bigger and more beautiful. “It’s <em>all </em>of us. Until the end.”</p><p> </p><p>“Until the end,” they all echoed in unison.</p><hr/><p>"Hello?"</p><p> </p><p>"Uh, hi. Is this... Are you Mr Booker?"</p><p> </p><p>"Just call him Booker. I'm Joe, by the way. The prick's out doing an errand."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh. Well, okay. I'm Peter. Peter Parker?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, I know. You're one of Tony's boys. What can I help you with, Pete?"</p><p> </p><p>"Is Mr Stark there? Can I talk to him?"</p><p> </p><p>"He's out doing an errand with Booker. I can deliver your message, if you want me to."</p><p> </p><p>"Um, no it's fine. Just tell him to call me again."</p><p> </p><p>"Alright. I'll be sure to tell him that. Nice talking to you—“</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"PETER, LOOK OUT!"</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Beep... Beep... Beep...</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Remember how we were like</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I guess it's a good thing Peter invited you along to our supposed date, Keener."</p><p> </p><p>"Knock it off, Jones. You know it's nothing like that. I'm here under Pepper's orders. She’s worried that after Beck, others would try to mess with Peter again."</p><p> </p><p>"Huh…and it turns out she was right. I knew I idiolised her for a reason."</p><p> </p><p>"Guys, shut up for a bit. I'm on a call."</p><p> </p><p>"Sure, Pete. Jones, you heard him. Shut your trap."</p><p> </p><p>"For fuck's sake, you're <em>so</em> whipped. I truly have no idea how no one ever noticed your feelings for Peter. It’s so obvious."</p><p> </p><p>"Jones, pipe down."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm whispering, Keener. Your breathing is louder than my voice."</p><p> </p><p>"Michelle, I'm serious. Shut up. I think there's someone else with us."</p><p> </p><p>"—‘s fine. Just tell him to call me again."</p><p> </p><p>"PETER, LOOK OUT!"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Harley!"</em>
</p><hr/><p>It was Tony's first mission. Technically, it was Booker's, a sort of a test-slash-punishment Andy and Joe had given him for his betrayal five years ago. But Quynh suggested at the last minute for Tony to come as well. She said it would be just like any other aspect of his training, except that he'd have to fight and rescue real people. According to Booker, what they’d gotten was one of the lighter missions, so Tony had nothing to worry about. They just had to bust a child trafficking headquarters just outside of Tortoli. It all went relatively easily, with them going in and out in less than twenty minutes. They broke down the doors, killed some bad guys, rescued the children, and quickly made their escape. They left on the chopper with the children and went to meet up with Copley in one of his many offices in Europe. The man would be the one to take care of everything else from then on, and Booker and Tony were free to go back home.</p><p> </p><p>As easy it was, the mission still felt weird to Tony. Theoretically, he knew he should be used to it already. After all, it was only about ten years ago when Tony broke into a HYDRA facility in Sokovia with the Avengers. He’d come in as Iron Man though, at that time. Flying in his suit, JARVIS in his ear, Thor tearing through the air beside him while Rogers rode on his bike behind him, with Natasha and Barton and Bruce close by. The original Avengers. If Tony recalled it correctly, that was the last mission they’d truly carried out as a united team. Before Ultron tore them apart. They hadn't gone on any other missions since then. <em>Tony</em> hadn't gone on any other missions since then. They had only been fighting each other from that day on. Probably it was quite normal for him to feel weirded out about the mission he'd gone on with Booker. So many things were different now.</p><p> </p><p>After about eight months of training, Tony had to admit that his fighting skills had grown a lot, thanks to the immortals. Going on the mission with Booker, he almost felt bad that his newly acquired skills were wasted on those idiots. He could do things he hadn't thought were possible before when he was still mortal. Back then, Tony had been confident enough to say that he was already a great fighter. He could even stand alone against Captain America <em>and</em> the Winter Soldier. But after he spent almost a year training with the immortals, he realised he'd been nothing compared to them. The only one who was around his level was Nile, and that was only because she was younger. Tony was sure that had she been alive, Natasha was the only mortal on Earth that would provide a bit of a challenge for the five older immortals. The woman was truly a force to be reckoned with. He remembered Thor telling him how he and Loki had once agreed that Natasha would have been a great addition to their ranks of Valkyrie. It was definitely a testament to Natasha's skills if literal Gods like the Asgardian bros could say something like that.</p><p> </p><p>"What's on your mind, <em>hermanito</em>?" Booker asked, catching Tony off guard when he suddenly came up behind him. They'd just gotten back to the safehouse, and Booker had just gone to report everything to Andy whilst Tony went to store of all their weapons back in the mansion's armoury. "Has anyone ever told you that you look constipated when you're thinking?</p><p> </p><p>"Ha ha ha, you're such a dick, Booker. Has anyone ever told <em>you</em> that?" Tony replied in a flat tone as he shut the door to the armoury. "And stop calling me <em>hermanito</em>. It's weird."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, do you prefer me calling you <em>chico</em>? Or even <em>hijo</em>? Considering that you're two hundred years younger than me."</p><p> </p><p>"<em>Fuck off</em>. God, I regret telling you that I speak Spanish. It makes you even more annoying."</p><p> </p><p>Booker laughed, reaching forward to ruffle Tony's hair, which he succesfully dodged. The gesture was sobering for Tony, who was reminded strongly of how Rhodes used to do that. The thought brought Tony's mood down again because he couldn't help himself when he thought of his family, of his life before his immortality. He wouldn't change anything about his past, because he knew it had given him his children. But he was sure that if he'd done some things a little differently, there was a big chance that the Decimation wouldn't have happened, and Tony wouldn't have been gifted with immortality.</p><p> </p><p>And he could have lived a relatively normal life with his family.</p><p> </p><p>"You know," Booker began as they sat down on the steps of the mansion’s entrance. "Sometimes I see <em>my</em> sons too whenever I look at Joe and Nicky. Probably not exactly in the way that you do, since it would be worrying if my sons had looked at each other like Joe and Nicky did. But I see them every time Joe and Nicky spar, I see Gaspard in the way Joe laughs heartily, and I see Jean-Pierre and Louis whenever Nicky cooks for us.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s very hard for me to remember that they <em>are </em>almost a millennia old,” Tony said quietly, letting out a mirthless chuckle. “Not when Joe beams at me every time he manages to figure out how to operate one of my gadgets, or when Nicky nags me into eating my vegetables with this angelic look on his pretty face.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker nodded his head, understanding. “And none of them understand it. Not even Andy or Quynh. They don’t get that when we see Joe and Nicky, we don’t only long for our own romantic partner, but also for the children we had to leave behind. They’ve <em>never </em>had children, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I figured out that early on. Pretty sure the closest Andy had to a child is Nile.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t ever tell her I said this, but more than once I’ve caught her looking at Nile like a proud mother.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your secret’s safe with me, Book. Don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker smiled at him, and Tony marveled at how the small gesture seemed to change the Frenchman’s whole being. It made Booker look younger than his forty-year-old appearance, and his happiness was lighting up his pale-blue eyes. Tony had never had someone who truly understood his pain before. No offense to Rhodes, who was like, the <em>best </em>person Tony had ever had the honour to know (tying up there in the list with Pepper), but Rhodes didn’t have a child. While Tony would never doubt that Rhodes cared for every single one of Tony’s children—even space assassin <em>Nebula—</em>he knew that his best and oldest friend wouldn’t have understood how he felt. Tony wasn’t looking for a replacement for Rhodes, but he <em>was</em> glad that he had Booker by his side. Tony had always had a hard time accepting new people into his life, so he was glad that Booker had managed to worm his way in seamlessly, just when he needed it most. Judging from the way that Booker smiled fondly at him, Tony liked to think that he shared the sentiment.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world… Life in plastic, it’s fantastic…”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“That fucking <em>asshole,</em>” Booker cursed under his breath, reaching for his phone in his pocket. He rolled his eyes at Tony, who couldn’t help but smirk as he watched Booker answer the call, knowing exactly whose work it was that had changed the man’s ringtone. “What is it, Yusuf? You know I’m right outside, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t you come inside?” Joe yelled from the phone. He didn’t give Booker a chance to reply before he was speaking again. “Shut up. Don’t answer me. Just give the phone to Tony. Tell him it’s urgent! His boy just called me!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?”</em> Tony yelped as he plucked Booker’s phone out of his hand. “Joe, what are you talking about? Who- who called?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Spider-Man,” Joe said, his voice coming closer from inside the as the line on the phone went dead. It didn’t take long before he finally came out with the other immortals, all of them looking grim. “He called us about half an hour ago, asking for you. But I knew both of you wouldn’t be on your phone during a mission, so I told him to leave his message with me. He only told me to tell you to call him back, and just when I was bidding him goodbye, the line went dead. But not before I heard a scream, calling his name. It was another boy, with a strong Southern twang.”</p><p> </p><p>“Harley…” Tony whispered, his eyes widening.</p><p> </p><p>“Then I found this on the internet,” Nile said before Tony could say anything, shoving her phone in his hand. The screen was showing a video posted by an online news channel. Tony quickly played it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"With Spider-Man’s identity revealed, the man has seemingly disappeared from the face of the Earth. The last time anyone had seen him was a couple days ago, when he kidnapped one Michelle Jones, his own classmate. However, there have been sources that have claimed to have seen Spider-Man, whose real name is Peter Parker, being picked up by an unknown accomplice on a Stark jet. Unfortunately, no one managed to get a good look at this accomplice, although some people suspected that it could have been Parker’s best friend, Ned Leeds. None of the Avengers could be reached to comment about this.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>And as the video ended, the burner phone that Peter had called into rang in Joe’s pocket. Wordlessly, the man gave it to Tony, who took it with a slight tremor in his hand. It <em>had </em>been eight months since he’d last officially talked to his any of his family members. The deal he’d made with the immortals was that he’d only contact them once a year. It had only been eight months, but <em>fuck it</em>, he’d missed them as if it had been eight years instead. He swallowed heavily, making sure that he had his emotions in check, before he answered the call.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?” Tony said, his tone uncharacteristically quiet.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr Stark?” a voice said from the phone. It was a girl’s voice. “Is that you, Mr Stark?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Tony replied with a frown. “Who is this? Where’s Peter?”</p><p> </p><p>“My name’s Michelle Jones, I’m Peter’s friend. He’s here with me, but right now he’s a bit… indisposed. He’s uh, he’s tending to Harley’s gunshot wounds.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?” </em>Tony exclaimed, nearly losing his grip on the phone. “Harley got <em>shot?</em> And <em>wounds? </em>What are you… What the fuck happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ask her where they are,” Booker said, earning him a nod from Joe and Nicky. “Tell her to share their location so we can find them.”</p><p> </p><p>Apparently Michelle heard Booker’s question and quickly began to explain. “We were at the villa in Noto? The one you bought for Harley. I’m sure you’ve heard what just happened a couple of days ago. I was with Peter when his identity was revealed, and we were chased down by an angry mob when Harley swooped in. He took us to the villa and we’d been hiding here ever since. When Peter was on the call with…with one of your collegues, a group of mercenaries broke in. One of them tried to shoot Peter, but then Harley decided to play hero and—“</p><p> </p><p>But Tony had stopped listening, already rushing to the hangar where their jet was. He threw the phone to Booker, who took over the conversation with Michelle as he and the rest of their team joined Tony on the jet. Tony had never been a religious man before, but he found himself reverently praying to whatever deity he could think of for Harley’s life. If anything happened to the blond, Tony didn’t think he’d be able to live with himself.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>("Everyone around you, everyone you love is gonna grow old, is gonna suffer and is gonna die.")</em>
</p><hr/><p>In all of his nine hundred and fifty four years of life, Nicky had witnessed <em>a lot </em>of miracles before.</p><p> </p><p>His own life was a miracle, from the day he first dreamed of Joe and Quynh and Andy. Contrary to popular belief, Joe hadn’t been the one to kill him for his first death. It was actually an arrow  straight to his heart that had taken his life. Joe hadn’t been anywhere near Nicky in the battle then. It took Nicky dying another five times before he met Joe. He died for the seventh time when Joe twisted his scimitar deep into his gut. But before he completely lost consciousness, Nicky managed to grab a nearby spear lying by his feet and struck Joe with it. Nicky could still remember the slight smirk tugging at Joe’s lips, his eyes glinting with mockery despite the blood he coughed out right at Nicky’s face—no doubt it was intentional. As Nicky felt his life leaving his body for the seventh time, he vaguely acknowledged Joe collapsing face-first beside him. They woke up looking into each other’s eyes just an hour later, barely sparing a second before resuming their fight. Nicky ended up dying thirty-seven more times by Joe’s hand after that, and he killed the man twenty-one times in return. They’d been fighting for almost a year when one day, Joe dropped his scimitar and instead offered Nicky his hand. He proposed a truce, saying that they should stop fighting, since it didn’t seem that they would die.</p><p> </p><p>Nicky killed him one last time for that. Just to be sure.</p><p> </p><p>And the fourty-six seconds it took Joe to wake up scared Nicky so much that he didn’t even hesitate to kiss the man when he finally woke up.</p><p> </p><p>He always said that first kiss with Joe was his favourite miracle. Joe loved it when he said that, and Nicky loved how it made him smile.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Incurable romantic.”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>For the next nine centuries, Nicky experienced countless more miracles with Joe by his side. The most memorable one happened just a decade before he met Andy and Quynh. He wasn’t sure whether the older immortals were aware of it, but Nicky and Joe <em>had </em>met another immortal before they ran into the two women. It was a man with pale skin and bright blue eyes, and big ears poking out from his thick dark curls that could rival Joe’s. He looked to be only a few years younger than Nicky and Joe, and <em>even</em> younger on the rare occasions he gave them a goofy grin. It was hard to believe sometimes that the man was actually over four hundred years older than them when he did that. But Nicky preferred it that way, since the man had the most heart-breaking look on his face when he was upset. Unfortunately, it happened a lot more than the goofy grins, and once Nicky and Joe even had to suffer through a thunderstorm because of it. The young man was Nicky and Joe’s first proof that they weren’t alone, even if they knew that the young man’s immortality wasn’t quite like theirs. Namely because of his <em>magic. </em>He hated it though, said it countless times during the two years he tagged along with Joe and Nicky. When they finally went on their separate ways, Nicky made sure to let him know that he <em>was </em>a miracle, despite what he seemed to believe.</p><p> </p><p>The young man merely gave him a sad smile before he disappeared with a flash of gold in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>So it really wasn’t all that surprising for him and Joe when the first of the superheroes appeared.</p><p> </p><p>Joe and Nicky had decided never to join another war after the American Civil War. They were tired of fighting other people’s battles. After seven hundred years of being in the middle of wars that cost people’s lives, they decided that they had had enough. Andy wasn’t all that happy with their decision, but she silently accepted it, even though it was clear that she wanted to argue. After all, she’d lived <em>far </em>longer than they had. But Andy was a leader, and that meant she wasn’t of the habit of forcing people to do her bidding. It was why they all had such respect for her. Thus, when the First World War broke out, she only took Booker with her, who was grateful for the slight distraction the War provided him. It was only after the Second World War that Andy and Booker finally changed their minds, and agreed with Nicky and Joe. War had changed in the twentieth century, and in Andy’s ancient eyes, she was horrified at how almost nobody fought fair anymore. It wasn’t just the weapons of mass destruction that bothered her morals. After having suffered a decade of being cut open because of her immortality, the thought that they did experiments on humans to create super soldiers was the final nail in the coffin. That was when Andy started to lose her faith in humanity.</p><p> </p><p>In 1942, Andy and Booker left the war and met up with Nicky and Joe in Malta.</p><p> </p><p>In 1943, the four them rescued Sergeant James Barnes from being experimented on by HYDRA, the positively depraved terrorist organisation.</p><p> </p><p>They were on the run with Barnes from HYDRA when they ran into Captain America himself, Steve Rogers. He was with the British agent Peggy Carter, and the inventor Howard Stark. The reunion between Barnes and Rogers was heartbreaking, filled with tears and hugs and yelling. When the two men became too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to everything else around them, the immortals took that as their cue to leave. They all had seen what Rogers could do, and what Stark’s technology was capable of. None of them felt like explaining to the band of naïve fools how in the world they’d managed to walk into a high-security base to save Barnes, alive and with not a scratch on them. They weren’t sure that Barnes wouldn’t blab about them, and even with Rogers as a super soldier, they all knew that that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get cut open and experimented on if the world found out about them. The immortals decided then that it was time for them to hide, and they went back to Malta with Nicky and Joe. It was the only place on Earth, other than Andy’s caves, where they could be sure that no one would be able to track them. They spent the next few years together until the end of the war, and it was probably the longest they’d spent without doing anything…<em>important</em>. Just the four of them, living a life as domestic as it could be for them.</p><p> </p><p>It was probably one of the best times of Nicky’s life.</p><p> </p><p>After Rogers and Barnes, they heard about other superheroes lurking around saving the world. And there was even a time when Andy vaguely insinuated that with the emergence of the superheroes, perhaps it was time for them to quit what they’d been doing for millennia. But as they followed the news and activities of these superheroes, it became clear to them that the superheroes often only did work on a grand scale. When <em>literally </em>the whole world was facing an apocalyptic-level of threat. The immortals noticed that the heroes barely paid attention to stuff like riots and kidnappings and human trafficking. They knew what they had to do then. While the superheroes did their saving-the-world by fighting monsters and aliens and magic, the immortals would pick up the small details that barely came onto the superheroes’ radar. Nicky had to admit that he liked their new purpose a lot better. This time, they only focused on killing people who were <em>really</em> awful instead of fighting in pointless wars. This time, they could directly save people who truly needed it. And that went well for them; really well, in fact. They could finally do their work without fear of being noticed by the world, because everyone was more focused on the superheroes. Not even once did they ever think that their paths—the immortals and the superheroes—would ever cross.</p><p> </p><p>Then the Decimation happened, and they dreamed of Tony Stark.</p><hr/><p>When Tony had bought the villa in Noto for Harley’s college graduation gift, he’d chosen it because the charming village was where he’d taken Pepper for their very first date. It also happened to be his mother’s favourite place in the world, for some reason. While no one understood why Tony had bought a villa all the way in Italy for Harley, the blond in question didn’t seem to care. He was too awed by everything around him. Unfortunately, they’d only been there once, when it was still brand new. The three of them had gone together—Tony, Harley and Pepper. They’d had a great time together, and for the first time ever, Tony had entertained what it would be like to build a proper family with Pepper. Harley was practically his son anyway, albeit without him being adopted properly. It was probably the happiest Tony had been since he and the Avengers had had their falling out, and he’d planned to take Peter along the next time they went back. But the memory of their time in Noto was ruined just a few months later, when Harley and Peter got decimated. Tony never went to the villa again during the five years of the Decimation. He’d never even set foot in the country since that day. But he <em>did</em> hire people to take care of Harley’s villa. Even when he’d lost faith that he’d get his sons back, he just couldn’t let them go.</p><p> </p><p>He never thought that when he would finally come again to Noto with his sons, it would be under such grave circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Tony found the kids a few blocks from the villa, in the Stark jet that they’d parked in stealth-mode. It was easy to locate them once Michelle had shared their location. Shortly before they landed, Booker warned him that Tony wouldn’t like what he found, and suggested that he stayed on the plane with Quynh and Nile. But Tony had never liked sitting around while everyone else got to have all the fun, so he insisted on coming along. Booker relented and said nothing else, waving his hand in a gesture Tony had come to know as ‘follow Andy’. It took them around five minutes before they found the Stark jet. He almost wished that he’d done as Booker suggested when he got on the jet and finally saw the state Harley was in. The blond was lying in what Tony assumed was the medical pod Harley had apparently installed in the jet. It had been one of his passion projects back in the day. Tony remembered how the boy used to talk about it all the time. Looking at how Harley was sleeping soundly despite the paleness of his skin, Tony was glad that the blond had managed to create the pod. Like it always did whenever his sons did something brilliant, Tony’s heart was nearly bursting with his pride for Harley, even though he was still worried.</p><p> </p><p>He stepped closer toward Harley, ignoring his teammates drilling Michelle about what had happened. He felt his heart clench at the sight of Harley, unconscious and pale with two newly-sealed wounds on his body. The gunshot wounds that he’d taken for Peter. One was on his right side, just under his ribs. The other one was in the middle of his stomach. Peter himself was asleep on the chair beside the pod, his head pressed against his and Harley’s clasped hands, still in his Spider-Man suit. That was when Tony saw the IV sticking out from Harley’s arm, attached to the blood-bag just over his head. Upon closer inspection, Tony noticed how Peter’s suit was covered in blood. Chills ran down his spine as he imagined how Peter must have felt the moment he realised what Harley had done—<em>for him.</em> Tony couldn’t help but to remember the time Harley had almost drowned when he was thirteen, back when they’d first met in Rose Hill. Tony had been <em>so terrified </em>he was going to lose the kid, he was ready to do anything for the mouthy blond he’d only just met. Peter had known Harley for many years now, and Tony suspected that he harboured some feelings for the older boy. He could only imagine how Peter had felt.</p><p> </p><p>“…like in a trance, you know?” Tony briefly registered Michelle’s hushed voice as she spoke to Tony’s fellow immortals, who were all listening raptly. “He only saw Harley’s slumped figure, blood slowly pooling under him, before he just snapped. There were ten men that had attacked us, and Peter… Well, he didn’t kill them outright. But he very nearly did. He only stopped when I yelled his name and reminded him that we needed to focus on Harley.”</p><p> </p><p>“What happened then?” Tony heard Nicky ask, his tone as gentle as ever.</p><p> </p><p>“We took him here,” Michelle said. “Peter remembered that for the past eight months Harley had been working on putting a medical pod here for emergencies, and since we figured we couldn’t take him to a proper hospital, this was our best solution. It took us quite a while to figure out how to use the pod, since Harley was unconscious at this point and he hadn’t got the chance to explain it to us. But Peter and I managed it, even if there was a little scare when we nearly sealed the bullets inside Harley because we didn’t know we had to get them out first. So I had to, uh…cut him open again to get the bullets out of his body.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?” </em>Tony and the immortals exclaimed, shocked. Michelle plowed on though, as if she didn’t realise how fatal it could have been for Harley.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I know right? Can’t believe Harley hadn’t figured out how to make the pod perform surgery all on its own before sealing his skin shut. Then there was also the thing about Harley losing so much blood he needed a transfusion. And because his blood type is AB and Peter’s is O, we had no choice but to just hope that Peter’s spider-mutated genes wouldn’t affect Harley too much. The both of them have been spending a lot of time sleeping, while I waited for you guys to come.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Christ,” </em>Tony breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose and feeling drained all of a sudden.</p><p> </p><p>“You alright, old man?” Joe asked with concern in his soulful eyes. It took almost all of Tony’s willpower to not flinch. It wasn’t easy though. The man’s gesture reminded him of Harley, like nearly everything he did.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine,” Tony quickly said, offering a small smile that he hoped was reassuring. “I was just… I mean, it’s a lot to take in.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Michelle said, looking guilty. “I didn’t mean to upset you or anything. I suppose I didn’t think it through. I have this bad habit of saying exactly what I have in my mind when I’m stressed out. And these past two days have been <em>really </em>stressful.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, kid,” Tony said again. This time when he smiled, he was sure that it was a bit more genuine. “It’s not your fault. I should be thanking you anyway, for taking care of my boys.”</p><p> </p><p>Michelle opened her mouth with another reply, but her eyes turned from Tony to look over his shoulder, where Peter was slowly waking up. Tony watched silently as Peter blinked his eyes into focus a couple of times, the hand that wasn’t holding Harley’s rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was about to check on Harley’s condition when he finally noticed the additional group of people around him. The moment his eyes landed on Tony’s, those brown eyes started to water before he tackled Tony in a tight hug. His face was buried into the crook of Tony’s neck as he babbled tearfully. He was incoherent, even when Tony strained his hearing to catch what the boy was saying. It took him a while, once Peter was slowly calming down with Tony rubbing his back as gently as he could, before he could finally understand what his son was saying.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I’m sorry, Mr Stark,” </em>Peter whispered, his voice a little muffled against Tony’s shirt. “I’m sorry that I dragged Harley into this. I’m <em>so</em> sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be silly,” Tony reprimanded him. “Everyone with at least two brain cells knows that you’re the last person anyone should blame this on. You were accused of a murder you didn’t commit, and your identity was unfairly revealed without your permission. While it’s the last thing I wanted for Harley to get hurt, I’m glad that he was with you. At least you weren’t alone.”</p><p> </p><p>Booker cleared his throat loudly then, and made a curt and barely-there nod toward Michelle, who was making a poor attempt to appear as if she hadn’t been listening by tidying up Harley’s blood-stained shirt. Tony felt instantly guilty, mentally cursing himself for not thinking things through before he said them. He partly blamed it on Rhodes and Pepper, who had been spoiling him rotten by filtering everything he said so that he wouldn’t have to. Knowing that whatever he tried to say to make Michelle feel better wouldn’t work, Tony hoped that the sheepish smile he sent her way would. He reckoned it sort of did, judging from the way she snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. Satisfied with her response, he turned his attention back to his son.</p><p> </p><p>“How are you feeling though, Pete?” he asked the boy. “Have you talked to your aunt or Pepper?”</p><p> </p><p>Peter shook his head. “No, I didn’t have time to. After they revealed my identity, the people quickly went after me. And I was with MJ at the time. We were chased for about ten blocks when Harley finally came with the jet. Originally we were just going to hide out in Rose Hill, but then the Air Force came. I think we flew across two states before we could finally lose them. MJ told us that we had to leave the country, and Harley suggested the villa. We were only there for a day before we were ambushed. It was my fault though. I forgot to put on stealth-mode when I took over piloting the jet from Harley. Everyone must have seen us flying in.”</p><p> </p><p>“You did what you could, Peter,” Tony said, giving him another hug to ease his guilt. “Stop beating yourself up about it, kid. I’m sure not even Harley would blame you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, he should,” Peter said stubbornly. “I could have gotten him killed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Joe said before Tony could reprimand Peter again. He was standing by the medical pod, frowning a little bit as his focused on Harley. “Are his wounds supposed to do that? I mean, I may not know much about human biology, but I don’t think <em>that </em>is possible for a regular human being.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony raised his eyebrows and came closer to have a look. “What the hell do you mean—<em>oh.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>“See!” Joe shot back at him. “I knew that shouldn’t be possible.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Peter quickly asked, alarmed. “Is Harley okay? I thought the pod was working.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think the pod’s working a little too well, if you ask me,” Joe said. “His wounds have healed up nicely, considering he was only shot a few hours ago.”</p><p> </p><p><em>“What?”</em> Peter yelped as he rushed to check on Harley’s wounds. He gasped audibly when he saw that Joe was right. It was as if Harley had been shot a few days ago instead of mere hours.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, he is as brilliant as you say, Tony,” Booker said, marveling the medic pod almost reverently. “We’ll be needing one like this for Andy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck off, Book,” Andy drawled out. Unfortunately for her, the rest of her family had the same idea as Booker, and were observing the pod closely.</p><p> </p><p>Tony knew better though. Whilst he didn’t doubt Harley’s abilities and ingenious mind, Tony knew that it wasn’t the pod that had healed Harley that well. His eyes slowly traveled from the IV sticking in Harley’s arm to the blood bag hanging over him, and he <em>knew.</em></p><p> </p><p>“It’s not the pod, I’m afraid,” Tony said faintly.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that, Tony?” Nicky asked, the only who had heard him whilst everyone else was busy checking out the medical pod.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think it’s the pod,” Tony repeated. Leveling his eyes onto Peter, he watched the realisation dawn on the boy before Tony managed to elaborate. He still said it though, if only for the others to understand what he meant.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean—“</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s your blood that’s saved Harley.”</p><hr/><p>When Joe turned to dust before his eyes, it felt like his whole world had ended.</p><p> </p><p>In a way, it probably had.</p><p> </p><p>Since the first time he’d dreamed of Joe, over nine centuries ago, before the dreams stopped the moment they finally met, there was always a part of Nicky that could sense Joe. It was probably why, out of the thousands of people that had fought in the Crusades, they were able to find each other. They were rarely separated from one another since leaving Jerusalem together, but when they were, Nicky could always find his way back to Joe easily. Even when Joe had suffered death time and time again, like when they were captured whilst looking for Quynh, Nicky could still feel Joe’s presence in his life. He knew that it was the same for Joe as well. Wherever they were in the world, in whatever condition they were in, Nicky and Joe could always feel each other. They’d tried asking Andy and Quynh about it, wanting to know whether they experienced the same thing. When both women said no, Nicky figured that it was because he and Joe were special. In a way, he supposed they were. Out of all of the immortals, Nicky and Joe were the only ones who’d turned around the same time. The rest of them were whole centuries apart.</p><p> </p><p>Nicky always reveled in the special bond he had with Joe, grateful that he had someone to go through his immortality together. Joe always said that whilst he didn’t doubt the strength of the bond between Andy and Quynh, he could tell that it wasn’t the same as the one that he and Nicky had. They were more than just soulmates—they were two halves of a whole. Nicky liked that about them. He liked it a lot. The thought that he and Joe were a part of a whole grounded him more than believing in his God ever had. It gave him a guarantee that Joe was his constant. That he and Joe would always be together, that they would never be parted from one another. And every night, for all those centuries he’d lived with Joe, he’d always send a prayer to the God he’d long had a complicated relationship with, thanking Him for giving him Joe. Unlike Joe, he never had a doubt that he was going to leave this world someday with him. He was always sure that when it was finally time for them to die, he’d die with Joe.</p><p> </p><p>Until the day that the love of his life got Decimated, and Nicky couldn’t feel Joe for <em>five years.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>(“Yusuf! Yusuf, </em>habibi, <em>where are you? Yusuf!)</em></p><p> </p><p>Nicky had been tortured countless times in all of the centuries he’d been alive. But it had never been as painful as the loss he felt in his heart when Joe had disappeared.</p><p>
  
</p><p>He could barely remember the five years during the Decimation period. He couldn’t even recall properly when Quynh and Booker had joined him and Nile. His mind was consumed with the idea that he <em>had </em>to be with Joe again, no matter what it took. It was like his whole being—especially his <em>soul—</em>was doing all it could to be with Joe. In the beginning, there were moments when his mind was clear enough to help Quynh get through her nightmares. And for sometime, things seemed to be looking up. But as the years passed, the roles became reversed. As Quynh slowly got over her trauma, Nicky spiraled down. There were days when he spent wasting away in his bed, deep in his own mind as he yearned for Joe. Sometimes he could acknowledge Quynh hugging him through his own nightmares, or Nile feeding him with whatever she managed to cook, or even Booker reading him their favourite books. Those days were rare, but he was grateful that they happened. He felt less like a burden during those better days.</p><p> </p><p>When Nicky came back to himself, finding Joe whispering to him softly as he held Nicky in his arms, it felt like he could breathe again. It felt like he was coming back to life again. He was weak and a bit disorientated from spending the majority of the past five years drugged, but it took him only a couple of days to physically recover. Mentally though, he knew that it could take him a hundred years at least. If any of his family members thought that he and Joe had been codependent before, they were even worse now. Nicky felt terrible about it but he literally couldn’t be away from Joe for the next three weeks. He would hyperventilate if Joe weren't by his side for more than five minutes, and it would take at least Quynh, if not Joe himself, to stop him from spiraling again. Nicky couldn’t stop apologising the first time it happened, embarrassed that he’d become so <em>weak. </em>But all of them, including their newest recruit Tony Stark, convinced him that it was perfectly normal. Tony even went on a tangent about his own traumatic experience and how he’d dealt with it. Needless to say, Nicky became fond of Tony right in that instance.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s because Nicolò had never lived a life where Yusuf <em>wasn’t </em>in it,” Quynh had theorised, a few days after Tony started to settle down in the safe-house. Joe was worried at the frequency of Nicky’s nightmares, that he sought out Andy and Quynh early in the morning before anyone else was awake. The only reason Nicky knew about this was because <em>he</em> had been awake himself the moment Joe left their bed, and he’d crept downstairs to listen in on their conversation.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” Joe had asked in return. “We only met when I was thirty-three and he was thirty. We spent a good three decades without each other.”</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, Andy understood what Quynh meant a little quicker. “Well, you’re three years older than he is, right? That would mean that throughout his life, even before he knew about you, you’d <em>always </em>been there. And since Nicky’s a firm believer that everything happens for a reason like destiny, yadda yadda, it’s only possible that the reason why he was even born was because he was destined to eventually fall in love with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then when you were erased completely from existence, it was like Nicky lost his purpose in life,” Quynh continued. “You were two halves of a whole, remember? We have long agreed that you two cannot live without each other. But then you disappeared, and Nicky <em>had </em>to live a life without you. And because he was never meant to ever be parted from you, it took a toll on him.”</p><p> </p><p>Joe let out a choked sound then, slumping in his seat as he seemed to process Quynh’s words. Nicky couldn’t see the look on his face, but he could tell how distraught his love was from the way he buried his head in his hands, his body tense. When Joe spoke again, he sounded positively heartbroken. “This is <em>my </em>fault then. If he’d never known me, had never even <em>met </em>me, his life would have been much easier.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Oh, Joe... You couldn't be more wrong.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“You idiot,” Andy drawled, sounding annoyed as she <em>eloquently </em>voiced what was in Nicky's mind. “Didn’t you listen to anything Quynh and I said? You two are<em> destined</em> to be together. To love each other. We’re not saying that whatever happened to Nicky is your fault, or what will happen to you is Nicky’s fault. Weren’t you just asking us why your disappearance had affected Nicky so? Well, <em>this </em>is our answer, you emotional fool.”</p><p> </p><p>“Honestly, Yusuf; for someone <em>so</em> smart, you can be really thick when it concerns Nicky,” Quynh quipped, sounding exasperated despite the fond smile on her face. She reached forward to cup Joe’s face in her hand, always the more affectionate one between her and Andy. “I’ve done a lot of thinking during these past five years. Things I haven’t ever given thought to before, despite my long years of life. I think I know now that we were given this gift of immortality because we were destined to be the ones to help the world heal after every trial and tribulation. Both you and Nicolò are the perfect example for that, you know. You two were from opposite sides of a great war that destroyed thousands of lives, and yet you showed us all that it <em>is </em>possible to unite people with vastly different upbringings.”</p><p> </p><p>Nicky thought that it was positively adorable how Joe leaned into Quynh’s palm and gave it a kiss as he let out a tearful laugh. “I sure did miss you, Quynh. You always know what to say just when we need it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I missed you too, <em>em trai,</em>” Quynh said. She ruffled Joe’s curls and kissed his forehead. “I suggest you go back to bed, Yusuf. I’m sure Nicolò is awake right now, looking for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. Thank you, by the way. Talking to you has been really helpful. And you too, Andy,” Joe added, earning a smile from Andy as she nodded her acknowledgement.</p><p> </p><p>Joe was still bidding Andy and Quynh goodnight by the time Nicky had returned to their room. It was less than a minute later when Joe joined him, sliding into his usual position behind Nicky on their bed. His arms were wrapped protectively around Nicky like they always were, and his face was buried into the back of Nicky’s neck, raining kisses all over his exposed skin. Nicky hummed gently at the feeling, twisting slightly so he could kiss his love. It wasn’t long before Joe was pulling Nicky onto his lap, one hand gripping Nicky’s hair to have a better angle while his other hand was circling Nicky’s waist. They were panting when they finally pulled apart, but their lips were barely an inch away from each other, still reluctant to be parted. Their foreheads were pressed together, and Nicky swore that he could literally see all the love that Joe had for him shining in his dark eyes. They always had been so expressive, ever since the very first time Nicky’s own pale-green ones laid upon them. He’d fallen for those eyes without realising it, even when they were still trying to kill each other.</p><p> </p><p>And now, after listening to Quynh’s explanation, Nicky knew <em>why.</em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>’Ahbak jiddaan, habib albi,” </em>Nicky whispered, feeling his heart nearly bursting with love.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Ti amo anch'io, cuore mio,</em>” Joe replied, just as reverently, if not more.</p><hr/><p>“Did you know that your blood could be used as a cure?”</p><p> </p><p>“I… I don’t. I- I mean, that did cross my mind. I did worry that something…<em>bad </em>could happen to Harley. I just… I just didn’t think it would heal him.”</p><p> </p><p>“No one can ever know about this though, Peter. Believe me. There will be a lot of people who would do <em>anything </em>to get their hands on your blood.”</p><p> </p><p>“Joe’s right. I know we aren’t exactly the same, but <em>those </em>people are.  And the last thing you would want is—“</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no, no, no… <em>He’s flat-lining! </em>Harley? Harley, don’t do this to me, <em>please.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“How is that possible? I thought he was doing fine before.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know. I- I really don’t know… Oh God, I’m not killing him, am I?”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. Tony, stay here with the kids. Nicky, you and Joe stay here too. See what you can do to help Harley. And Joe can help fly the jet. We’ll all meet you back at the safe-house, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Got it, boss—“</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Watch out! We got in coming!”</em></p>
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